


The Birth

by ArtemisArcher83



Series: B Series [6]
Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Family, Fate & Destiny, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-05-29 06:53:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 89,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6363898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisArcher83/pseuds/ArtemisArcher83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reunited in the twenty-first century, with many emotional issues on the mend, Myka, Helena and Christina settle into family life as they prepare for the arrival of baby Fredrick. With the past settled for now, the couple makes plans for their future and begin to see hope for stronger family bonds. But what evil lurks in the shadows and will it hinder their efforts? (Rating subject to change.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Deep breath, here we go...
> 
> As always, I'm nervously excited to finally be posting again. Continued support for this story had been amazing and much appreciated. Thank you for sticking with me this long!
> 
> Notes:
> 
> I made a minor alteration to the last chapter of The Bridge regarding the amount of time HG and Myka have been married when Christina wakes from her long sleep in bronze. (Eight, not seven years.) There may or may not be a short honeymoon segue-story to explain this in more detail ;-) but I'm getting way ahead of myself as usual!
> 
> As promised, this part of the saga will be mostly fluffy but (as with the beginning of this chapter), will have teasers here and there to keep the plot moving along. At least, that's how I planned it to work. It picks up right after the end of The Bering Strait. Let me know how it reads!
> 
> I was going to blab a bit longer about plot and crap, but if you're anything like me, you just want to get on with reading already so... Ready, teddy, GO!

**Univille, SD**

“What have you discovered?”

A gruff, impatient voice came through the receiver, making the agent’s neck hair stand on end.

Before joining the Warehouse, the set tasks had seemed simple enough; drop an item here, pick up an item there, make oneself part of the furniture. Be open to information coming from the undesirables. They had to be vigilant if they wanted to fulfil their family’s vendetta and purge the system of their enemies. It was their duty, their blood oath. Their ancestors would be avenged.

In reality, it proved more complicated. The agents of the Warehouse were likable, surprisingly so. No amount of reciting the family’s oath could make demons of angels. They were simply ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Since recruitment by Mrs Fredrick, motivation had waned. What was the point in a centuries old grudge? This age-old slight had governed the direction of their life since birth, the word ‘family’ becoming something of a joke as they were bounced around from one foster home to another in an attempt to keep their association to blood relatives a secret. ‘Raised by wolves’ was a preferred answer whenever asked about the subject. In reality, the eyes of blood were always watching, scrutinising, demanding. There was no escape.

Expectations had been set and there were severe consequences for failure.

“Christina Wells has been showing some emotional instability. She is having regular sessions with the new therapist. So are Agents Wells and Bering. It’s all confidential though so I haven’t heard what their issues are,” the agent replied defensively.

An unforgiving query followed, “Are you making excuses?”

“No, uncle,” the sullen agent answered. “Relations seem strained. We may be able to use that to our advantage.”

A hum of agreement was the only concession to that nugget of information. “And the drop?”

Feelings of inadequacy made the agent’s voice tense. “Security in the bronze sector is tight since they put the anomaly to sleep. No one is getting close to her without an escort, and just asking could blow my cover. It’s practically impossible to make the drop but I’ll keep waiting for a chance.” A small pause heard a frustrated sigh. “They’ll have detectors too no doubt.”

“We have been patient this long. It is not essential,” the unimpressed voice drifted through the receiver again. “We will continue to set things in place. You know what is expected of you. Maintain a low profile but be sure to keep your ear to the ground; we need as much ammunition against these parasites as possible. When our time comes, we will be rid of them once and for all.”

The agent’s eyes rolled in their sockets. Was the Dr. Evil laugh real or imagined? The call ended and the surroundings of the cafe once again became a focus.

A hand reached up to rub at a furrowed brow as it habitually did after one of these calls. There had to be a way out of this life but if so, there was no answer readily available.

They had a job to do and they were trapped... For now.

* * * * *

Cloaked by rising steam, enclosed by glass and oblivious to the woes of the world for the time being, two agents embraced beneath the steady flow of hot water.

Showering together was a logistical challenge with the dwindling space in the cubical but the morning following their intimate reunion begged for continued closeness. Myka worried that having her fiancée help her wash would feel too clinical and humiliating but she needn’t have worried. Helena made concessions for her decreased flexibility but otherwise treated her just the same; as someone she desired.

Having woken with the dawn to a full bladder, Agent Bering had climbed clumsily back into bed and watched as Helena mumbled in her sleep, turning to throw an arm her way. There was a moment when she thought her fiancée was awake, the inventor’s eyelids fluttered for a moment, but then she sighed and seemed to drift off again. Myka smiled to herself and settled in to enjoy the moment of peace.

Was it her imagination or was Helena more restful than usual? The last few weeks had had its share of stress and it wore on both of them, but dealing with Christina’s emotional transition had been the tip of the iceberg for the inventor. Myka knew instinctively that their reunion last night had lifted a great weight from her lover’s shoulders, and seeing the free, peaceful expression on Helena’s face confirmed that.

Climbing out of the shower, they dried off quickly and returned to the bedroom to dress. Eyes wandered often over exposed skin until they were both dressed for the day. Despite the temptation, they managed to arrive in the kitchen before either of them could distract the other.

Helena popped the kettle on as Myka reached for the decaf coffee and started the percolator going. The inventor popped two slices of bread into the toaster, knowing that her partner wouldn’t last another hour or so without something, and then splashed some milk in her tea.

Myka took her coffee to the dining room and checked her e-mail while she waited for her pre-brunch snack. She smiled to herself at how much her lover enjoyed looking after her and tried not to feel uncomfortable with having someone wait on her. The moment the Brit entered the room, she placed her tablet to one side and looked up to meet the kiss that came with her breakfast.

“Thank you, Helena,” she said gratefully, before folding a slice in half and devouring a third of it ravenously. “Mmm, I love this spread,” she added, not for the first time. “Y’know,” she continued with her mouth half-full and then, remembering her manners and blushing, she chewed quickly and swallowed. “I never did ask you how you discovered it. I wasn’t patented until the early twentieth century.”

Helena coughed nervously. “Well, I was briefly acquainted with one of the founders of the company.”

“Meaning?” Myka asked as she slowly pulled off a sliver of crust and popped it in her mouth. Having met more than one of her fiancée’s former lovers, they had become more tangible to her and she quickly assured herself that the majority were in fact now ghosts.

“I was searching for an artefact at the Bass brewery in Burton upon Trent and he assisted me.” HG watched her lover pick apart her breakfast with less gusto and reached across the table to place her hand on Myka’s forearm. “I was an opportune fling, darling. Nothing more.”

Agent Bering nodded her understanding but there were questions lurking at the back of her mind and she knew they wouldn’t go away easily. “When was this?”

Knowing what her partner was really asking, the inventor wished she had a better answer. “1895.” She watched green disappear behind eyelids and feared that they were about to take a step back from the progress they’d made. Then, Myka said something she wasn’t expecting at all.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you.” There was no guilt in her tone but a soft, regretful sadness. Her baby would have been four years old in 1895. Slowly, Myka willed away the air of melancholy and returned to her first question. “So, are you claiming that you helped to produce this stuff?”

Relieved at the tone of humour in Myka’s voice, Helena smiled. “I merely advised where the dark, yeast based by-product would be best placed within the food industry. It was only when you and Pete were searching for me in London that I discovered Marmite and realised that it was the developed result of something I had tasted years before.”

Myka’s smile was easier this time as she shook her head and finished the last morsel. “Well, in that case, thank you for encouraging him.” She sipped her coffee and sighed at her renewed enjoyment of the beverage. She eyed Helena over the rim of her mug and felt the same bubbling sensation that had appeared frequently the night before. She had been too preoccupied then to really think about it but as she continued to drink, the feeling intensified and her hand flattened automatically over her stomach.

The moment Myka’s eyes left her and stared into the middle distance, Helena placed her cup on the table and leant forward. “Darling?”

Myka felt a hand on her arm again and looked up from her inner thoughts. “Hmm...? Oh.” She looked down at her belly and sat further back in her chair. “I keep feeling this strange sensation. Like... bubbles?”

Helena was out of her seat and kneeling beside her fiancée before she had completely processed Myka’s words. Her body remembered that feeling vividly and reacted on instinct. Both hands surrounded her lover’s bump and waited to feel something.

“You think he’s moving?” the brunette asked, catching on to the inventor’s sudden excitement. Her own hands surrounded Helena’s and she waited with bated breath. Anticipation flashed in her eyes and she found herself gazing longingly into dark orbs. However, when a minute passed and there was no indication of movement from within, she felt her excitement wane.

Helena saw the disappointment in Myka’s expression but wasn’t yet deterred. “Give me a moment, love,” she instructed and disappeared into the kitchen for a minute before Mendelssohn’s Spring Song filtered through the wireless speakers and Helena returned with a glass of ice-water. She handed Myka the glass before resuming her position on the floor. “Changes in temperature and sound can sometimes encourage movement,” she explained, indicating for her fiancée to drink.

Following the suggestion, Myka took a large gulp of the chilled water and returned her hands to her bump. She felt the liquid hit her stomach and the effect was instantaneous; tiny flutters of movement from within. She immediately caught her fiancée’s gaze again and saw her own tears of joy mirrored back at her.

“Oh my God,” Myka whispered reverently. “That’s what it was?” She asked in awe.

HG barely felt the tiniest of tremors through her lover’s body but it was enough to know that Myka could feel their baby. “That’s our son, Myka.”

A strangled sob of uncontainable emotion erupted from the American’s throat and Helena quickly pulled a dining chair closer so she could wrap both arms around her fiancée. The moment Myka’s tears subsided, she grabbed Helena’s face, sank fingers into raven hair and crushed their mouths together, pouring every overwhelming feeling into the kiss.

“I love you so much,” Myka murmured several minutes later against swollen lips.

Helena held strong, trembling hands in her own and pulled the brunette back into a longer, softer kiss. They stayed this way for some time, whispering fervent words of devotion and reaffirming their bond.

They were almost running late by the time they were pulling on shoes and costs; Helena insisting that Myka shouldn't be embarrassed for needing help to reach her laces, even as she found the heightened colour in the American’s cheeks endearing as she knelt in front of her.

Leena was the first to see the couple walk into the bed and breakfast and smiled to see them both looking so content again. She watched the way Helena took every opportunity to touch Myka; kissing her hand as they closed the door behind them, fingering an escaped lock of hair from Myka’s pony tail, and helping Agent Bering to remove her coat. She only looked away from her fiancée when a young figure came careering round a doorframe and collided solidly with her.

Helena’s smile beamed down at her daughter and that seemed to indicate to Christina that she should bounce around and chatter non-stop about her evening away from home. Myka calmly hung their coats up and tried to pay attention to everything the eight-year-old was saying. The trouble was, the moment Christina started talking, movement that had dissipated during their walk over to Leena’s suddenly intensified. It seemed like she and Helena weren’t the only ones who had missed the girl.

“... After, we decided to make cookies and Aunt Claudia accidentally tipped the sultanas all over the floor! So, we had to have mostly chocolate chips instead,” she concluded from the long list of activities. “They’re not as tasty as the sultanas but I think Uncle Pete will like them.”

“Uncle Pete would like them even if they were a week old, stale and plain. I’m sure he will love your cookies,” Myka assured the energetic girl. “It’ll be hard not letting him eat them all before brunch!” She took the small hand that reached for hers and allowed herself to be led into the living room where she was directed to the couch.

Christina positioned her parents so there was enough room for her to squeeze between them and promptly scrambled up once they were seated. “Can I stay over with Aunt Claudia again?” she asked sweetly as she tilted sideways and leant against her Mama. “Not tonight,” she clarified quickly. “But possibly in a week or two?”

Myka kissed the top of her baby’s wavy hair as she ran her fingers through its length and gazed lovingly at the expression of wonderment on Helena’s face. “As long as Claudia is happy with that arrangement, it’s fine by us. We’re glad you had a good time.” She felt firmer movement from within, like a cry for attention. She lifted her t-shirt a little and reached for Christina’s hand to place it against her bump. “I think someone would like to say hello to you.” She watched excitement rise into the girl’s features and added, “I think he missed you.”

Helena pulled Christina further into her lap so she could scoot closer, and placed a hand where there was space. This was how company found them as people began to arrive and make their way into the living room.

The sound of irritated voices reached the small haven before bodies appeared. Lila was one of the first to join them, her tense frown softening into a smile as she spotted the trio and made her way over to a single sofa. Pete barely offered a ‘hello’ as he smothered Myka’s belly with his large hand and tried to feel how active his nephew was.

“Lila’s been feeling stuff too but I can't feel it yet,” he complained.

Myka noticed the exhaustion on the blonde’s face and had to wonder at her best friend’s chipper expression. Something wasn’t right. He wouldn’t normally be upbeat when there were so many negative vibes in the air. “Well, we do have a three week difference now, you know. It’s not a competition.” She caught a very slight eye-roll from across the room and felt Helena’s hand begin to rub in small, comforting circles. “Besides, I didn’t even know what I was feeling until this morning. I just thought it was indigestion or something like that.”

Claudia entered behind Steve and Jason, looking tired but rather pleased with herself. Myka knew that look. It said, “I just spent a day taking care of a minor and nobody got seriously injured”. An afternoon nap was likely in the offing for the young trainee caretaker.

Eyes scanned the couch-cuddled family and enquired after their well-being but nobody took liberties like Pete by attempting to touch the expectant mother.

Christina conversed quietly with her parents, Steve drew Lila into his conversation with Jason about the merits of living in the middle of nowhere verses living in the city, Claudia collapsed into her beanbag and Pete disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, mumbling something about hearing baked goods crying out for attention.

The only three missing were Artie, Meghan and Abigail. The director refused to leave the Warehouse completely unattended, and considering who they had residing there, HG and Myka were more than relieved with the man’s dedication. Getting out of the bed and breakfast for a while, Abigail was trying very hard to work through Agent Coombs’ many issues. The woman was turning into a fair agent, but her people skills required polishing and the Regents wanted them all to do their part to help her along.

Brunch was a noisy affair, almost topping the chaos of Christmas day, but where everything had been relaxed and effortless on that occasion, most of the adults slowly became aware of an underlying current of tension between the passing of bagels, butter and bacon. When the mini-feast eventually ended and all hands worked together to begin the clear-up, Myka not so subtly suggested to Christina that Pete might enjoy taking her to the park with Helena, conveniently leaving her to talk with Lila in his absence.

It didn’t take much to persuade the overgrown boy to go out to play. HG kissed her fiancée and wished her luck before stepping back into her shoes and following her daughter and Pete out the door. Within minutes, grass and trees surrounded them. Christina waited all of thirty seconds before looking pleadingly at her mother and running off towards the play area.

Pete began to follow but didn’t advance more than a step before being tugged back. He did a double take between Christina and the inventor. “Am I missing something?”

HG rolled her eyes. “Does that intuition of yours only work on people other than yourself?”

“Oh,” Pete’s voice came out at half the volume as he finally realised that he’d been sussed out. “Did Myka tell you something was up?” He slipped his hands into his pockets and stared at his toes.

“You truly must be distracted. Pete, the tension between you and Lila was quite obvious to all at that table.” As he raised his head, she saw the pain in his eyes and squeezed his forearm. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I take it Mykes is having this same talk with Lila?” He watched the inventor nod and shook his head.

Helena took the gesture to mean that he wasn’t happy with the arrangement. She could empathise with how he must feel. “Take it from someone who is apparently ‘as stubborn as the day is long’, it helps to talk to others and listen to advice. You do not have to battle through solely by yourself.”

Agent Lattimer scratched at his unshaven chin and dug around in the dirt with his heel. “I wasn’t. We’ve been talking, it’s just going in circles all the time.” He scratched the back of his head and let his gaze wander. “You and Mykes have had your own problems; I didn’t want to burden her with this. Abigail’s been busy, Steve is always off on adventures with Jason, there’s no way I’m talkin’ to Artie or Meghan, Claude’s fixing to become the next Warehouse Whisperer and I never seem to see Leena alone anymore.” He sighed a very un-Pete-like sigh. “I’m really excited about having a family, y’know? I’m gonna be a dad! That’s awesome. And Lila? I want to do right by her. I don’t want to mess it up like I did with Amanda.”

“However?” HG prompted.

“I think I already have,” he admitted soberly.

HG waited a few beats but nothing more was forthcoming. “As useful as it might be to be able to read minds, I do not have that ability I’m afraid. You will have to elaborate.”

Pete stared at her. “We’re gonna have to get you some shorter catch-phrases.” Holding his hands up in surrender, he continued quickly, “Alright, alright! No death-stares, ok?” He paused briefly and kicked a stone across the ground. “I asked her to marry me.”

“Ah,” Helena said, assuming from his sombre demeanour that the answer hadn’t been to his liking.

“She said no,” he added unnecessarily.

HG gazed across the grass, watching her daughter play with a couple of children she was tentatively getting to know from their occasional visits to the park. She tried to imagine how she’d have felt if Myka had refused her. “Did you allow her the opportunity to explain her reasons?”

“We’re living together, we love each other and we’re having a baby,” Pete answered, his brow furrowing as if he was completely bamboozled by the concept of refusing marriage.

Feeling a surge of irritation toward her colleague and friend, the inventor’s head rose sharply and she placed both hands on her hips. “Peter Lattimer, do not begin to think that you can reason away your disappointment with some misogynistic idea that a woman must want to marry a man because she is carrying his progeny!”

Pete’s gaze drifted momentarily out of focus as he tried to piece together her words. He was pretty sure that he understood the gist but any remaining confusion was out of his mouth before he could stop it. “...Huh?”

“Lila has every right to refuse you, regardless of how much she loves you. If that is her decision you must honour it,” Helena told him sharply. A deep breath served to calm her ire slightly and her next words were somewhat gentler. “You have a right to your emotions, it is natural to feel disappointed, but if you love her, you will listen to her and respect her beliefs. She may have decided a long time ago never to marry, for reasons you cannot comprehend. That does not detract from her feelings for you.”

Pete looked like a small boy standing in front of his irate mother. His bruised ego still hurt, but listening to his friend’s lecture made him slowly realise that he might have overreacted.

“Stop sulking and start showing her reasons to change her mind. If you want to give her a ring, may I suggest a symbolic promise? Marriage is a state of being, not a name you can wave around and brag about.” Seeing that he was taking everything in, HG decided that she was done talking. “As far as Myka and I are concerned, we are married by our desire to be together and our dedication to making it work. The rings and the ceremony will simply be the icing on the proverbial cake.”

It took him a minute but eventually he shook his head and came to his senses. “Crud... I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” Seeing the Brit’s lip curling to one side, he quickly interrupted, “Don’t answer that!” He thought back to the numerous hints his girlfriend had tried to give him and winced. “I guess I was just so excited about everything I didn’t really stop to listen to what she was trying to tell me.” Feeling his natural enthusiasm kicking back in, he wanted to head straight back to Leena’s; this was totally fixable, but deciding to listen to a tiny voice of sense, something told him that his girlfriend needed more time. “So, HG,” he began with a mischievous grin. “Since we’re sharing, how did the reunion go last night? Y’know I don’t mind sharing tips,” he teased. “Help you get your mojo back. Bow-chicka bo-Ow!” His ‘sexy-dance’ turned into a hop as he grabbed the ankle she’d kicked.

“Oh dear, how clumsy of me.” HG didn’t even bother to hide the sarcasm in her tone as she pivoted and began a brisk walk toward the swings. With her task accomplished, she decided she’d had her dose of Pete for the day.

* * * * *

Back at the bed and breakfast, Myka followed Lila back to the living room and closed the door behind her. The blonde took a seat on the three-seater this time and looked up at the agent with a knowing expression.

“So, you got rid of Pete. What do you want to say to me? That I’m a terrible person? That I don’t deserve your friend?” She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the inevitable.

Myka felt a pang of guilt for the misunderstanding and sat as close as she could without invading the woman’s personal space. “I’m not here to yell at you. I’m here to listen. Even if you want to call my best friend a few choice names.” She watched as Lila’s posture sagged and tears sprang to her eyes. “I know he’s not perfect. I thought I might be able to help you understand whatever he said or did.”

“You’re so sure he’s the one who caused the problem?” Lila asked as she wiped at her tears.

“He always means well, but he doesn’t always think things through,” Myka explained. “I just thought you might want to talk about whatever happened while he wasn’t around.”

The blonde nodded and took several deep breaths. “I love Pete. He’s such a big kid but where it counts he’s sensitive and attentive, and surprisingly good at serious conversations when he’s not hung up on super heroes and comic books. You know, when _this_ all started,” she gestured to their bumps. “I kind of resented you all for a while. Well, mostly you.”

Agent Bering wasn’t surprised but she had a feeling that her companion needed to get this confession out. “Why? It was as much of a shock to me as it was to you. Particularly considering the fact that I’m with a woman. Birth control wasn’t high on my list of priorities. Though,” she paused as she remembered the incident with the hockey player, Mike and the wish-granting dog-tags. “Pete did accidentally make me pregnant once. It only lasted a day but I was almost full term.”

Lila shook her head, looking exasperated. “See? This is what I’m talking about. You’re used to all of this artefact nonsense. Plus, you’re already a mom and you’re in a relationship that you know you want to be in for life.” She tugged absentmindedly at her pony-tail. “I wasn’t ready to be in so deep and I’m really trying to ease into this life, I don’t want to go anywhere else, but Pete’s just so far ahead and I feel like I’m constantly trying to keep up!”

Watching as Lila quickly worked herself into a frenzy of emotion, Myka realised that the blonde was another of her friends and family who had suffered through the recent crazy events. “I can’t imagine Pete pressuring you into anything,” the agent thought aloud.

“He proposed,” Lila announced, deadpanned.

“Oh,” Myka responded, suddenly understanding how the situation had come to a head. “Oh, Pete,” she added, knowing that her friend’s enthusiasm had likely blindsided him to his girlfriend’s plight. “Let me guess, now he’s sulking because you said no?”

Lila, who got up to fetch a tissue, nodded and slumped back onto the couch. “I love him but I’m just not ready to get married. I always thought that I would be with a guy a few years before we _talked_ about marriage and kids. I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to be a mom but I didn’t want an abortion. We’re making plans and I can see myself in a week, a month, maybe after the birth, but Pete’s talking schools, tree-houses and little-league. I hate to crush his dreams... Marriage is a step too far.” Her eyes were already red-rimmed as she stopped to rub the heels of her palms into their sockets. “I just... I love how bright his dreams are and he’s so happy lately. I don’t want to rain on his parade,” she finished and sighed.

“Lila,” Myka began compassionately. “I know Pete can be a little single minded when he has his heart set on something, but he’ll move mountains for you if you give him a chance. He won’t know what to do if you don’t tell him.”

“I know.” Her tears had subsided but she still looked lost. “I tried to break it to him gently but I guess I was too subtle. I know I can’t blame Pete. I am annoyed with him for springing the proposal on me though and making me feel like the bad guy for saying no.”

“Try again,” Myka insisted. “I suggest you have a plate of cookies between you and just shove one in his mouth when you want him to listen.”

The image of Pete with his mouth full of food brought a reluctant smile to the blonde’s mouth. She really did love the goofball. It wasn’t the passionate, obsessive love she’d felt with boyfriends in the past. It wasn’t that rare, almost effortless magnetism she saw between HG and Myka but it was strong and stable, both of which would hold them in good stead if they were to survive being parents. But looking into the distant future was too intimidating for now and she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to make him see that.

Hearing the front door open and the sound of feet on the mat, Lila took a deep breath and nodded in Myka’s direction. A few minutes passed where they chatted briefly about unimportant issues before the door creaked open and Pete crept in with a plate of Christina and Claudia’s cookies. He stood for a second gauging their expressions, his eyebrows rising to his hairline as both women burst into spontaneous giggles.

Myka stood, still chuckling at the inside joke. “Since Pete’s come prepared, I’m going to leave you two alone.” She squeezed her best friend’s arm and smiled in reassurance.

Back in the kitchen, Myka met her fiancée and rosy-cheeked child and slipped into Helena’s waiting arms.  Barely half an hour had passed but she was already craving the Brit’s touch.

While she sat at the island, Christina sipped her milk and nibbled one of the few cookies that were left over, watching her parents cuddle and mumble soft words to each other.

She watched Mummy leant towards Mama and kiss her.

She smiled into her milk.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks for the review and kudos! I'm a bit late with my intended weekly update, but I have managed to write a lot during my weekend camping so hopefully all will be forgiven?
> 
> Have changed the rating just because there's nudity creeping in and I'm not entirely sure what's appropriate for teens any more. Better safe than sorry though.

** Chapter Two **

Three pairs of eyes watched movement on a small screen as tiny limbs twitched and a rhythmic whoosh, whoosh sound filled the room.

Dr Vanessa Calder turned from the image and smiled at the two teary-eyed parents. “Everything looks good, Moms. Growth is what I’d expect, he’s plenty active and vitals are normal.” She handed Myka the chart, knowing that the agent would ask anyway. “He seems no worse for wear after your recent adventure, but I can continue with the weekly visits if you want, Myka.”

“Thank you,” the curly-haired brunette responded, looking a little shame-faced for having demanded so much of the doctor’s time since her return from 1890. “I think we’ll be ok going back to a regular schedule. I can’t keep dragging you away from your work.”

“If it helps to give you peace of mind, you know I’m happy to do it. I’m not so busy that it would be an imposition.” She saw the determined expression on the brunette’s features and nodded slowly to herself. “We’ll make an appointment for another visit in four weeks. If you need me before then, don’t hesitate to call.”

Myka squeezed Helena’s hand and met her gaze. Since their renewed closeness and Christina’s silent agreement to sleep in her own bed, much of her accumulated anxiety regarding her pregnancy had dissipated. Without a crisis around every corner, they were finally able to relax and enjoy their family.

At twenty-two weeks now, Myka was really beginning to feel the frustration of not having a body that bent to her whim. With approximately eighteen weeks left to go, it was beginning to feel like she’d be pregnant forever. Still, there was something to be said for the warmth that filled her whenever Helena looked at her with complete, unwavering devotion. Part of her would definitely miss the experience when it was over, but already, she was eager to feel her son in her arms.

They drove home from the clinic where Vanessa had requisitioned the use of an ultra-sound, and arrived home to a still empty house.

Myka’s brother-in-law, Kevin, was in Rapid City on business, so the family was staying at the Bering-Wells household. Tomorrow, they had decided to take a trip into the city to visit the Reptile Gardens, but today, while her husband was at work, Tracy had offered to take Christina and Daniel to the Children’s Museum.

“We have approximately two hours,” Helena announced as they stepped across the threshold and hung up their coats. “Do you want to take a bath with me?” She watched her fiancée’s gaze flit back and forth from the kitchen and smiled to herself. “You can get a snack while I’m running the water.”

Myka took the inventor’s jaw between her palms and kissed her soundly. “I’ll meet you upstairs in twenty minutes.”

Half an hour later, Myka sat, surrounded by bubbles while she felt her lover slide in the tub behind her. They each relaxed into the water and, as had become habit, entwined their hands over the welcome protrusion from Myka’s body.

“Do you think he’ll be like Christina?” Myka wondered aloud after several moments of blissful tranquillity. Her head was resting against Helena’s shoulders while the Brit’s fingers teased up and down her arms. “They are technically twins. Do you think they’ll share many attributes?”

“You’re asking to debate nature verses nurture?” HG asked, her hands pausing in their exploration. “Now?”

Myka’s head twisted towards the inventor’s, her nose brushing against her fiancée’s chin. “Do you think growing up in the twenty-first century will make much difference? Christina’s adapting. I don’t think it will be long before she becomes completely immersed in the modern world and there’s nothing to stop us trying to instil the same values in him.”

“You have a point,” Helena conceded. “The manner in which he responds when he hears her would indicate that they already have an uncommon bond.”

“Hmm,” Myka responded contentedly. Another peaceful minute passed before a new thought came to mind. “What did Nate say when you called him?”

HG grabbed the shampoo and poured some in her hand before beginning to run it through wet curls. “He’s happy to drive Adelaide over this way. In fact, he sounded more than happy. I do believe he may have an acquaintance he wishes to spend the weekend alone with.” When Myka didn’t comment, she paused in her ministrations. “I would like to see him find someone who feels for him the way he feels for her. He is a good man.”

Myka’s head turned so Helena could see her sincerity. “I know that. And I agree, he deserves someone too.” She nudged her lover’s hand, indicating for her to continue. “I don’t bear him any ill will, it’s just...” She sighed. _How do you say ‘I hate that he touched you’ in a nice way?_ she wondered internally. She was very conscious of not wanting to trigger any more guilt on Helena’s part.

“I know,” the Brit whispered. Her hands sank into thick lather and curls, fingertips finding every point of tension along Myka’s scalp and massaging it away. She felt her lower regions throb at the sound of contented pleasure escaping the American’s lips. “But only you get that privilege now. Until the end of time, you are the only person who has permission to touch me this way.”

Liking the sound of that, Myka smiled and sank into hands that knew every which way to make her melt. She couldn’t wait to see the expression on Christina’s face when Adelaide turned up on their doorstep in two weeks. “I suppose it’s a shame they don’t live closer. The girls in Christina’s theatrical group are just so...”

“Theatrical?” Helena tried, the smirk evident in her tone.

Myka snorted. “That’s a nice way of putting it.” She leant her head back at Helena’s urging and allowed her hair to be rinsed. “I’m sure one or two of them are kind at heart, but I think our baby is finding it hard to connect with them the way she has with Adelaide.”

“I agree.” Regret tinted the inventor’s tone. They both wanted their daughter to have friends she could trust and connect with, and both were aware of how even children could be fickle and unnecessarily judgemental. “I think she’s considering a change of recreation.”

“That might be for the best. Do we suggest it or wait until she says something?” Myka wondered.

“I believe if we present her with options, she will make a choice she is happy with.” Helena finished rinsing all the suds from her lover’s hair and began to work conditioner through the decadent mass. She breathed in the scent of coconut and knew that it would remind her of this moment for weeks.

“So perhaps all we have to do is find some alternatives?” Myka thought aloud, sounding hopeful. “What if she doesn’t want to quit?”

“Then we respect her choice,” HG said simply.

Myka shook her head, mildly ashamed at the little voice in the back of her mind that just wanted to make the decision to pull her little girl away from those negative influences. All she could picture were the cliques of girls in high school who had attempted daily to make her life miserable. “Of course.” Her left hand moved through the water, swirling bubbles in spirals absentmindedly. “Do you ever consider moving?” Myka changed the subject, her words edged with hesitancy as she tentatively tested the waters. “Living somewhere else? Somewhere with more prospects for the kids?”

HG’s eyebrow rose in surprise as she considered the question. “The thought might have crossed my mind once or twice,” she admitted. Univille’s community was small and somewhat insular. The local school was miles away and very few opportunities existed for extra-curricular activities. Having grown up on the outskirts of a busy city, the inventor appreciated the abundance of choices. She hadn't thought that Myka would consider moving away from their Warehouse family though. Not yet anyway. “Do you want to move?”

Myka played with a kneecap and breathed in the scent of lavender-perfumed bubbles. “I'm not sure I'm ready to leave the Warehouse but it's not as if I'll be going out on assignment any time soon. Is it selfish of me to want to stay here for that?”

Helena took her time with her answer. Something told her that this was a delicate issue for her partner. “If we weren't living here, where would you want to go?”

“I'm not sure.” Agent Bering hesitated. She didn’t know how Helena would feel about any of this but one of their resolutions was to talk more about their thoughts, whether they be for the past, present or future. “Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to travel the world.” She laughed softly. “Why settle for a classroom when the entire planet is out there to explore?”

“Hmm,” Helena contemplated the idea, trying to imagine the scenario. “It would be nice to see more of the world with you when we’re not playing cat and mouse. London, Paris, Egypt. We could make better memories. How would we live?” She wondered aloud. “Six months here and there? Longer? Or do we come back home to stay for a while after a month or so away?”

Myka was quiet for some time. She closed her eyes while Helena rinsed the conditioner from her hair. “The water’s beginning to get cold,” she mentioned once the inventor was finished. “We have to take a shower next time. I miss being able to wash your hair.” She reached for the edge of the bath and carefully climbed out, accepting the hand that reached out to help her. She began to dry off as HG disappeared briefly beneath the water. While sitting on the lid of the toilet, drying her hair, she got lost in the sight of a knowing smile and her fiancée’s hands running through inky locks. “I think maybe Christina would benefit from being around more children, so maybe we look at somewhere near the city? But we should travel more.”

“We don’t travel already?” HG asked, amused by the American’s train of thought.

Green eyes twinkled. “We should travel more as a family.”

Helena’s warm smile followed her lover around the room. She imagined them on beaches, strolling through historic towns, rediscovering lost civilisations and generally enjoying each other’s company while they explored the world. Perhaps they would never get that far, but it was fun to dream.

The inventor picked up the showerhead to wash the last of the conditioner from her hair as her fiancée pulled on a robe and handed her a towel. “Thank you. Darling, do you think much about what you would like to do if you were no longer an active agent?”

Myka shrugged. “It’s hard to imagine what else I’d do. Do you think about being a field agent again?”

“I did think about it.” Helena pulled the plug from the tub and started the water draining. “I enjoy inventing. I hope to have my shrink-ray perfected before long. That and the research I’m occasionally commissioned with keeps me entertained.” She wrapped the towel round her hair and wandered over to slide her arms around Myka’s middle. “Running around Hollywood made me realise how little I like being away from my family now. I spent more than enough time wandering the world searching for artefacts back in the nineteenth century.” She brushed a lock of damp hair from her beloved’s face and kissed a tooth-worried lip. “That’s not to say that you should hand in the towel yet, love. We can figure all that out when the time comes.”

Glancing down between them, the brunette’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. “I suppose now would be an opportune time to try something different and see how it feels. Being at home all the time makes me restless,” she confessed.

“Hence the thoughts about travelling?” HG watched her partner nod and followed the gesture. “Perhaps now is the time to talk about trying something new then?”

“What about our friends? What about Christina? You have your workshop set up just the way you like it and you’ve only just finished the nursery,” Myka started to worry as her brain listed all the possible obstacles. She was about to open her mouth again when she found a finger over her lips.

“Darling, there’s no harm in just talking. We’ll work out any kinks as they come.” Hands caressing round hips, Helena pulled her lover closer and covered any further concerns with a slow kiss. Releasing the agent, she turned toward the bedroom and allowed the towel to fall away from her body. A mischievous smirk appeared on her face as she said, “Now, unless you want to be caught in a compromising position, I suggest we make ourselves presentable.”

Myka watched her fiancée wander back into the bedroom, her gaze following twin dimples at the small of Helena’s back, murmuring, “Do we have to?”

* * * * *

Myka embraced her daughter as she tumbled into the house and then relieved her sister of her nephew. He was growing fast. His bright, expressive eyes fixed on anything and everything that grabbed his attention, his head swivelling from side to side with each sound and movement. Myka was enamoured, her smile radiant as she wandered into the living room, chatting to him along the way with Christina following behind, her voice adding to the stimuli.

Helena’s dreamy gaze followed her fiancée, unaware of the eyes that watched her.

“If I ever doubted your feelings for my sister, that look right there would have me convinced.” Tracy removed her boots and placed them neatly on the rack. “How desperate is she to have that baby already?”

HG finally realised that somebody was trying to talk to her and turned to meet an amused gaze. She quickly reviewed the few words she’d passively heard and grasped the gist of their meaning. “Desperate is perhaps not the adjective I would use yet. Eager would be more accurate. She has really enjoyed having Daniel here.”

The younger Bering sibling nodded, her expression somewhat careworn. “Oh sure. He gets all the attention these days.” She smiled and shrugged. “Not that I can blame anyone for falling in love with him. I know I have.”

“It’s difficult to imagine experiencing anything else. After feeling that life growing inside of you for months and then finally holding them in your arms.” Helena thought back to the moment the midwife had placed her baby girl in her arms. “I know that not every woman’s experience is the same after giving birth but for me, it was a feeling like almost no other. Utterly over-whelming and breath-taking. It completed a part of me that I didn’t know I was missing. Very much like meeting your sister actually,” she added after a pause.

“You had Christina on your own? Her father wasn’t around?” Tracy asked as they made their way into the kitchen. Helena had volunteered to make dinner to give Myka more time with Daniel and the new mother had offered to help in an attempt to get to know her sister’s partner better. This particular question had niggled at her of late.

Helena struggled with her thoughts for a moment. Now that she knew the truth, she wanted everyone to know that Myka was Christina’s other biological parent. Not because it changed the dynamic between her daughter and her fiancée, but because she could hardly contain the joy of their personal miracle.

Clearing her throat, she tried to play on the assumptions she had believed were true for the longest time. “The man I assumed to be her biological father died years ago. She has no father to speak of.”

Tracy stared after the Brit, feeling taken aback by the woman’s nonchalance. “You don’t know who her father was?”

HG’s shoulders shifted in imitation of a shrug. “I was not exactly a nun in my youth. My parents expected me to marry well, birth the next generation and present the picture of the perfect wife to society. I rebelled.”

“I didn’t know that sort of thing still happened.” Tracy said sympathetically.

“I imagine many cultures continue the practice,” Helena responded ruefully. Though her own experience was over a century ago, she had seen enough of the modern world to know that some things didn’t change no matter how enlightened people believed themselves to be. “Power begets power, or so many dynasties would have us believe. Arranged marriage is often the go-to answer for maintaining exclusivity in the upper echelons.”

“And now you’re half way across the world, living in a tiny town in North America with an illegitimate child and you’re engaged to a woman. Way to rebel,” the guest commented, impressed by the older woman’s guts. “What do your parents think to that?”

Helena smiled at the summery, but she couldn’t miss the hint of concern behind her future sister-in-law’s words. “My parents are no longer with us either; I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself. We are richest when we have love. I cannot help but feel like the wealthiest woman alive with your sister in my life.”

“Damn, HG,” Tracy blurted after a moment of silent awe. “You should write or... something.”

A small smirk lifted the inventor’s features. “It has been suggested.”

* * * * *

Early the next morning, the house was awake, dressed, fed and ready to leave exceptionally early. They gathered by the front door with backpacks full of supplies for the day and one by one, piled into Kevin’s people carrier. With the road into the city thankfully light on traffic, the family reached their destination just in time to find the attraction opening.

A crisp, clear-blue sky hovered overhead, the straining spring sun doing very little to warm the people gathering at the entrance to The Reptile Gardens. The adults pulled their coats tighter and Tracy checked that Daniel’s blanket was wrapped securely around his body.

Christina bounced around, avoiding the hands that reached for the open top button of her coat. She giggled and leapt behind her Mama as her Mummy growled playfully and made a grab for her. “I’m not cold, Mummy,” she snorted with laughter.

The line moved along and Myka smiled challengingly at her fiancée. Their eyes met briefly and sparkled with shared amusement. Green signalled to one side as her voice said, “Looking for something?”

Helena stepped closer and reached around Myka’s left side. She heard a snicker and grasped nothing but thin air. Her eyes narrowed at the smirk on her partner’s lips. Reaching around the right side this time, she ducked under an arm and managed to snag the back of her child’s coat.

With a cackle of triumph, she wrapped her arms around the girl’s figure and picked her up. “I’ve got you,” she mumbled and blew a raspberry against the back of a neck. Spinning her captive around, she held the child on her hip and pushed disarrayed curls from a soft, brown gaze. They grinned at each other for a moment before HG gently lowered the increasingly heavy figure to the ground. She fingered the girl’s collar for a moment before her voice turned more serious. “I’m sorry if I’m fussing too much, my love. You will tell me if you get cold, won’t you?”

Seeing her mother’s pleading expression, Christina became serious too and nodded. “I promise, Mummy. How much longer must we wait?”

“How long do you think?” The inventor threw the question back.

The eight-year-old assessed the length of the line and tried to work out how long they’d been there already. “Ten minutes?” she guessed.

Myka nodded in a manner that said ‘that’s not a bad estimate’ and glanced at the line herself. “I think it’ll be closer to five.”

The girl sighed. Five was better than ten but it still seemed like too long. “If only we had a time machine,” she joked matter-of-factly and then blushed as both her parents burst with startled amusement.

“More trouble than they’re worth,” HG commented as Myka continued to chuckle.

Behind the two agents, Tracy Bering stood arm-in-arm with her husband and couldn’t help but marvel at her elder sibling’s complete contentment. Neither Myka nor Helena seemed aware of the interested stares they were drawing. Some people smiled at the obvious happiness in their midst but one or two frowned. For a moment, Tracy the cheerleader rose up inside her and shuddered at being part of this party of social pariahs, and then Tracy the sister, the wife, the mother and aunt collectively beat her back and raised their heads in defiance.

What were Myka and Helena doing that other families didn’t do? They weren’t bickering or screaming at their child to behave. They weren’t whining about the wait or the chill in the air. They were happy, affectionate and understanding.

_What the hell is everybody’s problem?_ the young mother thought to herself angrily.

Once they were all inside, there was no time to feel concern for anyone else as Christina’s enthusiasm, Myka’s bladder and Daniel’s stomach kept them moving constantly from one destination to another. After the tropical temperatures in the Sky Dome, the chilly outside air had seemed colder than when they first arrived. By lunchtime, the entire family was relieved to finally be able to sit down in a warm place while they re-fuelled.

In the afternoon, Mr and Mrs Littlewood left the Bering-Wells family to their exploration of the Bewitched Village and pushed a once-again sleeping baby through the gardens. They met with smiles, expressions of congratulations and the occasional comment on their son’s adorably chubby features. Tracy felt her husband’s arm around her shoulders and swore that she heard at least one whispered ‘aww’ each time he leant down to kiss her.

Well used to drawing this kind of attention, Tracy felt the warmth that usually filled her. Yet, beneath that pleasant feeling, there was a sense of unease. She felt the weight of inequality on her shoulders as she thought about her sister. Myka should be able to experience this feeling too. The utter idiocy of the world struck her hard and brought a resurgence of her ire.

She was still upset when she and Kevin pushed their son towards their family’s rendezvous point and her gaze landed on the back of her sister facing towards the pen of a giant tortoise, using her phone to record Christina petting the enormous creature while HG embraced her from behind.

Looking around suspiciously, Tracy spotted one of the disapproving gazes from that morning and felt her irritation reach its peak. With deliberate steps, she approached her sister’s side and glared back at the unwelcome threat, her eyes meeting the challengers’ dead on. Seconds passed as the gaze faltered and slowly slunk away. She made sure they were out of sight before turning back to her sister, who hadn’t taken her eyes off her daughter long enough to notice anything untoward.

It took Kevin’s arms around her to finally brush off her wayward emotions. By the time they were once again on the road, headed home, there was merely a lingering sadness left. Myka had not paid any attention to the onlookers. Perhaps it was a result of experiencing years of ridicule from their adolescent peers and disapproval from their father, but her sister exhibited a tough outer armour that she hadn’t appreciated before. In her heart rose a newfound respect for her older sibling.

* * * * *

Evening found two sisters sitting in the living room, their children tucked in for the night and their partners sequestered elsewhere in the house, likely discussing construction techniques in the inventor’s laboratory.

Sipping her decaf-coffee, Myka gazed over the mug at her sister, noting the faraway look on her face. It had been a long, tiring day for all of them but even so, Tracy had never been known for her reticence. They had confided very little in each other over the years, but now that they were so much closer, she hoped that she could help with whatever was wrong. “Hey, Trace?” she asked slowly.

It took a few seconds before Mrs Littlewood responded, her mind deep in thought as she reflected on the day’s revelations. “Huh? Oh, sorry sis. Did you say something?”

“Christina asked me something while you were putting little Dan to bed.” Myka watched her sister’s expression carefully, looking for the cracks in her armour. “She wanted to know why you were giving some people the stink-eye today. You’d tell me if anyone was trying to hurt you, right? I’m combat trained and I have contacts with various authorities.”

“ _Christina_ said ‘stink-eye’?” the young mother stalled.

“No,” Myka answered as she went along with the segue. “She said ‘why did Aunt Tracy appear so untoward with people today?’”

Tracy smiled and then chuckled to herself. “You really didn’t notice them, did you?”

Myka tensed, suddenly fearing for her sister’s safety. “Them who?”

Sighing to herself, the young mother slouched into her seat and levelled a sympathetic look at her elder sibling. “You know, I couldn’t help watching you today, with HG and Christina. I’ve never seen you so happy. But not just that; I’ve never seen you so confident and carefree in a social situation.” She watched Myka’s frown grow and chuckled to herself again. “At work? Sure. With your head in a book? Always. Not like today. She really does complete you.”

“I don’t understand,” the agent grumbled, wondering where the danger was. Had she been so involved with Helena and Christina that she’d missed something vital happening around her?

Tracy rolled her eyes. “The stink-eye was for the idiots who looked at the three of you like you were Hitler and Saddam out on a date with their devil-spawn.” Her irritation returned as she recalled the expressions of horror directed at her sister. “You were like the centre of all things good in the world and still, some people looked at you like they were watching their worst nightmare come to life. How can people still think like that when they have something so beautiful right in front of them?”

Myka’s expression softened with understanding and sympathy. She had seen the looks but had chosen to ignore them. A tear wavered on the tail of a warm smile. “You really thought that?”

“Absolutely! They’re... f-ing idiots!” she insisted as she tried not to shout.

Shaking her curls about, the agent reached out to place a hand on her sister’s forearm. “No, I meant, did you really think that I was beautiful?”

Like a mini-tornado running out of momentum, Tracy’s anger dissipated as she processed Myka’s question and saw the look of hope on her face. It was like being back in their parents’ store with her older sister waiting desperately for the approval that she knew would never come. Myka didn’t care what most people thought of her; she took her own path and rarely apologised for it, but for the people who mattered to her most, she had always tried so hard for so little return. _Well not this time,_ the young mother thought with determination.

Tracy shuffled closer and wrapped her arms around Myka’s shoulders. They had hugged many times, as children because they didn’t know any better, as teens when they were forced to, as young adults because it was expected of them, and more recently as they rekindled something that had burnt out long ago. But this genuine show of sisterly love beat them all and both of them felt it to their bones.

“You’ve always been beautiful, Myka. I just didn’t take the time to see it before.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Nothing much to comment on today. Just thanks for reading and a special thanks for commenting if you decide to share your thoughts with me :-)

Sitting in the cafe opposite the dance and drama school, Myka ignored her cooling drink and gazed adoringly at her fiancée’s animated features. Chin resting in one hand, she once again took no notice of the onlookers as she listened to her lover’s story and rubbed circles around her belly.

As April had finally arrived and the weather was improving, they had decided that a short trip was in order soon. A cabin in the woods perhaps or an apartment by the sea? Somewhere they could get away together for their first family holiday.

Since opening up the topic of moving house, Myka found herself considering the possibility more often. Not too long ago, she had fought the idea of early retirement and she still wasn’t sure that she wanted to give up hunting artefacts entirely but the more she and Helena talked, the more interested she became in alternatives.

What was stopping them from taking on some freelance work from time to time? Or checking out Artie’s less pressing leads when the other agents were busy? Helena had even suggested that between them, they had a good chance at cracking some of the cold-cases and more elusive targets.

For the next year at least, they had agreed to stay put and simply take more time to travel. Not only would this give Christina a chance to experience the modern world and see what it had to offer but it would also give the adults a taste of where they would be best suited.

Whatever they decided to do, they needed to be happy doing it and they needed to stick together as a family.

The one issue neither of them had approached yet though was the bronzed figure they would have to leave behind. Their brave teen had made them promise to live without constant concern for her wellbeing, but it was easier said than done. They had also promised to give her the best life possible and that wasn’t best accomplished while allowing themselves to be shackled to the Warehouse. It was one thing or the other and they both knew what they had to do, no matter how difficult it was to loosen the reins.

All of these thoughts turned like a record on repeat through Myka’s mind. Some days they filled her with excitement and anticipation. Other days she would panic and feel overwhelmed. In either case, she made herself talk to Helena on the matter.

Watching the inventor’s features light up with the retelling of one of her adventures, Myka sighed and fell in love just a little bit more. Some days it was just enough to know that they were planning to live the rest of their lives together.

Myka eventually sipped her cold tea and then pushed it back to one side. There was no time to order another drink so she reached across the table while gazing from under her lashes at her partner and finished the remaining mouthful of Helena’s lemon-water.

HG shook her head playfully as she stood up and shrugged into her jacket. “Is this a taste of how married life will be? Nevermore to finish another drink?”

Myka followed suit, linking an arm through her lover’s as they made their way from the cafe and across the street. Her unrepentant grin spoke volumes. “Well, since you only have yourself to blame for being so distracting, I think you should forgive me and perhaps congratulate me on my ability to continue functioning instead.”

“I distract you?” Helena asked, trying to appear shocked. “I had no idea,” she lied in a whisper as they entered the classroom and automatically searched the room for their child. The inventor felt more than heard her partner’s amusement against her side and knew that Myka was already thinking of ways to return the distraction later.

Later couldn’t come soon enough.

Christina’s eyes caught her parents across the room and she smiled to herself with something like relief. Ebony and Britney, the two girls she had befriended in her first few classes, stood either side of her and she was very much ready to leave their company.

What had begun, in those early days, as excitement over being accepted into this new social group, had very quickly turned sour. Having expected to meet with the same sort of camaraderie she had found with Adelaide, she was disappointed to find that they had very little in common. She was beginning to understand that her appearance in the group had been somewhat of a novelty and coupled with her (apparently) adorable accent, there had been a minor battle over her ‘friendship’. Now that the novelty had worn off somewhat, the two girls were beginning to show their true colours and in the last few weeks, some of their off-hand remarks hit a little too close to home.

She looked over at her parents again and saw the usual long gazes that passed between them, their hands linked in a way that always brought comfort to the youth. From the corner of her eye, she saw a critical glance pass between her fellow students and felt an unpleasant churning sensation settle in her stomach.

Needing to get away, Christina slunk passed the two girls and approached her mothers. She slipped a hand into the inventor’s and pulled her towards the coat racks. They passed other parents and she chanced a glance up to see similar expression of censure on their faces. She grabbed her coat roughly and tried to ram her arms into the sleeves.

Seeing the drastic change in behaviour, the agents exchanged their own look. Myka took her eyes off her fiancée long enough to see what her daughter had seen and stared down the culprits while Helena knelt down to Christina’s level.

“Here,” Helena said softly as she ran her hands soothingly down tense arms and caught the coat. She had sensed enough of the tension around them on previous visits to guess what had happened and come to the right conclusion. “Not everyone is as brave as you are, love,” she began to explain, not troubling to keep her voice low. “Many people are afraid of things they do not understand, and fear sometimes begets anger. It takes strength of character to treat others with respect in the face of that fear.” She zipped up the coat and took Christina’s hands in her own. “Okay?”

Looking into kind eyes, the eight-year-old felt the warmth of her mother’s words fill her and lifted her head with returning confidence. “They’re afraid of you and Mama?” she queried to check that she understood. At the Brit’s nod, she looked quizzically up at the surrounding adults, most of whom were awkwardly avoiding the scene. She turned to her Mama who gazed down at her with nothing but love. “That’s daft,” she scoffed and reached up to grasp her Mama’s hand. “May we leave now?”

“Yes, Sweetheart, we can leave,” Myka answered in relief.

The car journey home was fairly quiet, with the adults attempting sporadically to make conversation and Christina giving distracted one or two word answers. As they entered the house and began to take their coats off, the eight-year-old found a sudden burst of energy. She kicked her shoes off, threw her coat on a hook and took off up the stairs.

Helena exchanged a worried look with her fiancée and called up the stairs after their daughter, “Christina!?”

“I’ll be back in a minute, Mummy!” came the hurried reply.

Myka shrugged when dark eyes fixed on her. “Your guess is as good as mine,” she muttered as they stood waiting. “I know that avoiding people won’t get rid of their prejudices, but I really hope she doesn’t want to go back there after this.”

“Hmm, we can but hope,” Helena agreed and then, hearing returning footsteps, turned back towards the stairs.

Two pairs of eyebrows rose as Christina reappeared, wearing a hard hat and carrying several objects. The eight-year-old wandered carefully down the stairs and off-loaded most of her bundle into the Brit’s arms.

“Do you want to explain now?” HG asked in confusion.

Christina ignored the question for a moment and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the fake-moustache she’d won from a Christmas cracker and a rubber nose. Approaching the inventor first, she giggled at the expression of horror watching her. “Hold still, Mummy.”

HG did her best not to turn at the snicker that came from behind her or flinch as the plastic pinched sensitive flesh. “And the nose?” she wondered aloud.

“Nope, that’s for Mama,” the girl announced and waited as the curly-haired agent obligingly leant forward. “Ta-da!” she announced as she finished.

“Are these to be our disguises from now on?” Helena wondered as she tried to twitch her accessory into a more comfortable position, to no avail.

“They’re funny,” Christina explained patiently. “People can’t be scared if they’re busy laughing.”

Myka laughed at that, the sound of her amusement filling the house and drawing the inventor’s appreciative gaze. Much of it was relief that her daughter was taking the situation so well but the rest was genuine mirth as her lover turned toward her with her new look. It was so rare to see Helena’s goofy side. “And the hard-hat?” she enquired.

“If Mummy’s not too busy, I’d like to start on the tree-house,” the young girl pleaded, her face falling automatically into the hint of a pout.

“I have time,” HG assured her. “Get together anything else you need and fetch the shed key please. I will meet you back here in ten minutes.” She watched the girl disappear and reached for her partner. “Go ahead,” she grumbled. “You know you’re bursting to say it, darling.”

Chuckling more, Agent Bering faced her lover and stoked along the edge of the plastic. “Now you can provide the moustache too.”

Helena exaggerated an eye-roll. “Feel better now?”she asked, letting the sarcasm roll off her tongue.

“Yes. I have HG Wells in my arms. ‘Tash and all. So sexy,” she teased as she tilted her head to the left and brought their lips together amidst the soft clack of their meeting accessories. She snickered again and tried to deepen the kiss but it was no use. She couldn’t keep her eyes closed or her mind on the task with the inventor looking so ridiculous. Her giggles bubbled forth, halting their embrace and she felt Helena move to grin against her neck. “That tickles,” she complained and squirmed. Pushing the inventor off gently, she retreated toward the kitchen, her voice following behind her as she warned her lover, “You had better get going before you get into trouble with the foreman for being late. I don’t want you to have to work overtime tonight!”

Still juggling the items she’d been given, HG appeared torn between several decisions. She watched Myka disappear from view and found her thoughts become temporarily clearer. _She’s not even trying to distract you yet, HG._ She grinned, felt the moustache move and remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

* * * * *

Much later, with oncoming dark halting construction and sustenance consumed, they sat curled on the couch watching the end credits to Finding Nemo.

Christina found herself once more thinking about that morning. “Mama, is it alright if I don’t go to my class anymore?” she asked, unaware of how much her parents had wanted to hear her say those words. “It’s not cowardly to give up, is it?”

“Under the circumstances, Christina it’s not cowardly. Life is too precious to surround yourself with people who don’t appreciate you,” Myka reassured the girl. “You’re smarter that many people to realise that now.”

The adults waited for the questions that were sure to follow. Since the drive home, they had both been formulating possible responses to anything they thought their daughter might ask. It was a tricky subject and would likely rear its ugly head on many more occasions. It was important that Christina knew how to deal with any bigotry she might face.

“Do many people behave like that?” the child continued after a brief pause. “Is that why Aunt Tracy was cross at the Reptile Gardens?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Myka answered as she ran her fingers through wavy hair.

“Humans are obstinate creatures in general and it takes time to change opinions,” HG added. “We are far from the only people who live this way though, love. You are not alone in having two mothers.”

“Is that why your Mummy and Daddy don’t come to see us? Don’t they miss you?” Christina asked her Mama.

Myka sighed. She paused in her ministrations as she thought carefully about her answer. “I imagine they miss the person they thought I was. I think my dad is happy for me, in his own way, but he’s never been very good at showing affection.” She felt Helena’s fingers stroking the back of her neck and leant into the gesture. “I hope someday my mother might take a moment to really think about how she feels instead of just reacting. I know she would love you both if she could just get to know you.”

“What’s wrong with being two mothers together?”

“Absolutely nothing, my love,” HG insisted over the girl’s frown. “No matter what anyone says, there is nothing wrong with two consenting adults being in love.”

“What do you do when people stare and whisper?” Christina wondered, thinking back to the girls and their parents. “I didn’t like it when Ebony and Britney were looking at you.”

The agents heard the tone of their daughter’s voice rise with residual distress. The two of them had lived their individual lives with varying degrees of acceptance and ridicule. Experience had moulded them into resilient adults and their love for each other distracted them from much of the critical looks of late. Perhaps they needed to be more aware of their surroundings while out with their child, or children as the case would be before too long.

Myka, who had spent a good portion of her youth worrying about other people’s opinions, felt that Christina needed more advice that just ‘ignore them’. “Sweetheart, you will meet many people in your lifetime who might want to spend time with you. You will learn, over time, which sort of people you prefer to spend _your_ time with. Some... friendships might be brief, like with the girls at your dance and drama class, others might last a lifetime.”

“Like Addy?” Christina asked hopefully.

“Possibly,” the American answered cautiously. Helena’s hand continued to rub circles around her neck and shoulders, and Myka knew that she was listening closely too. “What you have to remember is that this is your life to live and not everyone will approve of your choices, or agree with your opinion. Some people will even try to tell you what to choose or believe.” She paused to assess how the girl was coping with her speech and found an expression of thoughtful curiosity in dark eyes. “You can listen to advice and try new things but at the end of the day you have to choose for yourself. Not everybody and everything will be worth your time.”

“Which means that there will be times when you must simply let the ignorance of others drift over you,” the inventor concluded. “It can be difficult to control your responses when others attempt to ridicule you or those you love.”

“So I should walk away?” Christina frowned. “But I don’t want people to say awful things about you.”

“I know, Sweetie. It’s hard to let it go. There may be times when you do need to stick up for others, but your mother and I have learnt not to give simpleminded people much thought.”

Helena met her lover’s gaze and smiled. Myka was so much better than her at controlling her emotions in response to the looks and remarks but it was getting easier. She wasn’t sure how well either of them would do if one of those idiots decided to release their prejudice on their children but they would cross that bridge when they came to it. “You just keep us informed if you ever meet with that ignorance again though. Different situations call for different measures.”

Christina remained quiet for a while. She lifted the American’s t-shirt up slightly so she could place a hand over her bump and rested her head across the top. Her parents had given her much to think about but there were still questions she wanted to ask. She was tired of talking through and tired of listening. She wondered if maybe Abigail would have some further insight and made a mental note to ask later in the week.

She fell asleep sometime later to the last chapter of The Silver Chair and immediately began wondering what her life would be like in Narnia, her adolescent subconscious apparently deciding that reality could wait until tomorrow.

* * * * *

Myka tapped a fingernail anxiously against her thigh as she sat in the study nursing a cup of tea, waiting for the doorbell to chime.

Helena was at the bed and breakfast with Christina, having escorted her to her last session with Abigail this week and she’d just texted to say that their daughter still had not finished. Lately, all of her sessions finished on time or even a few minutes early. But not today.

Not the day when they were expecting surprise guests and needed to be home on time. Not the day when one of her Mama’s least favourite people was about to make an appearance and Christina’s presence was desperately needed as a buffer.

The sound of a car pulling up outside drew the agent’s attention and she sighed. Craning her head, she glanced out of the window and saw Nate and Adelaide jumping out of their vehicle. _At least she can act as a distraction,_ she thought to herself as she sent her prepared ‘They’re here! xxx’ to her fiancée’s phone and pushed herself from the office chair. She reached the front door as soon as the bell rang and opened it with a practised smile.

“Hi, Myka,” the young girl greeted shyly.

Myka held an arm out to invite her visitor into a hug. “Hello, Adelaide. Did you have a good journey?”

“It was ok. Dad vetoed listening to the Frozen soundtrack again so I had to put up with Elvis the whole way,” she grumbled. “Is she here?” she asked, excitedly looking around.

Chuckling, Myka shook her head. “They’re running a bit late, but they should be back in a few minutes. Why don’t you take your things up to Christina’s room?” Adelaide thanked the brunette and followed the suggestion, only briefly eyeing the agent’s rounded tummy. The agent watched the girl run up the stairs and as an afterthought, called after her, “And don’t knock the king!” Turning back to the door, her expression fell slightly. “Hello, Nate.”

“Agent Bering,” he greeted as he stepped into the entrance hall.

She watched him scrutinise the hallway as she imagined he had the last time he was there. She tried hard not to roll her eyes. “You should probably start calling me Myka. I have a feeling our girls are going to be friends long enough to do away with formalities.”

Nate huffed. “You know, you’re starting to sound like her a bit Agent... Myka. Me and you, we’ve never really had time to talk, have we?” He didn’t elaborate on his meaning but gestured toward her stomach. Myka didn’t need clarification to know who he meant by ‘her’. “Congratulations by the way. Addy told me you were expecting. I didn’t know that she was thinking of having more kids. Do you think it’ll be different, having your own?”

Myka bit the inside of her cheek as the underhand comments kept coming. She wasn’t even sure that he meant half of them to be as insulting as they were. It seemed like he was just off-loading anything that had occurred to him about the reality of his ex’s feelings for her. Regardless of his intent, she wasn’t about to be his verbal punching bag. “Christina _is_ my own,” she assured him, confident in the knowledge that she would say precisely the same thing without recent revelations.

Before he could add anything, his daughter reappeared at the top of the stairs and began her descent. Outside, they heard two distinctive voices and all tuned toward the door.

Smiling in an attempt to be amiable, Myka remembered why this man was standing in her house again and decided to take pity on him. “Get ready to cover your ears,” she warned and saw a spark of amused understanding in his gaze.

The scraping of feet on the mat and the turning of a key in the lock drew their attention.

“... It should be green, like the forest,” a young voice came muffled through the door.

“We will visit the hardware store and look at swatches as soon as construction if complete.” HG’s voice followed. “Now, may we please escape into the warm? It is rather nippy out here, darling.”

Christina bounced passed her mother and then stopped dead when she spotted the two adults standing in the hallway. She saw her Mama’s smile and looked to the tall man with a quizzical expression. Then she recognised him and put the pieces together. Her head swivelled like a spinning-top every which way as the door closed behind her.

“Addy?” the eight-year-old called, ignoring all of the adults in the room. She spotted an extra set of feet behind her Mama before a grinning face appeared and her squeal filled the entrance hall.

Three pairs of hands covers ears, the adults chuckling to themselves as hugging, jumping and further squealing ensued all around them. Both girls attempted to talk over each other and then in a flurry of limbs, they disappeared up the stairs.

“You weren’t kidding,” Nate commented in response to the brunette’s warning. “I wonder if she would even notice if I just left?” He muttered under his breath, feeling a little bit dumped by his pride and joy.

Helena wound an arm around Myka’s waist and leant in for a kiss. “Hello, love. It seems our scheming was successful.”

“Was there any doubt?” Myka grinned as most of her previous tension drained from her body.

HG grinned at her fiancée and nodded. “Of course... Wells and Bering...” she chuckled as Myka’s eyes narrowed. “Would you like something to drink, Nate or do you intend to get back on the road in a jiffy?”

Trying not to look directly at the couple, he deliberated for a moment. “Maybe on the journey back,” he allowed, edging toward the exit.

Helena nodded and moved toward the stairs. “Darling, would you mind putting the kettle on while I fetch the girls?”

Myka nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, glad to escape. HG jogged lightly up the stairs and made her way to her daughter’s bedroom. She looked inside to find them both cross-legged on the bed, stuffed animals between them and all of the faux-food from Christina’s Victorian tea-set laid out. They sure hadn’t wasted any time in getting stuck in.

“This looks very civilised,” HG commented as she entered. Christina looked up at her with a huge grin while Adelaide blushed slightly.

“We’re having a tea party,” Christina announced. “Mummy, could we have a real one tomorrow?”

“I don’t see why not.” The inventor saw the excitement her answer inspired and felt warmth spread through her body. “Adelaide, your father intends to leave shortly. I’m sure you want to wish him a pleasant journey before he goes.” The blue-eyed girl rolled off the bed, disturbing the plate in front of her but not noticing. HG met her at the door and knelt to eye-level, whispering, “I think he might be a little nervous about meeting his new friend. Why don’t you give him an extra big hug?”

Adelaide nodded. “Ok,” she agreed before disappearing again.

HG wandered over to the bed and hovered close by, “You do know that manners are irreplaceable, don’t you love?” she teased.

Christina cocked her head to one side and slowly adopted an expression of contrition. “I should say thank you to our guest?” she guessed.

“He was kind enough to bring Adelaide over for the weekend,” Helena pointed out patiently.

“Ok,” Christina echoed her friend, kissed her mother on the cheek and held out her hands to hop down.

Helena shook her head as she followed. “And so it begins.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad to have so many positive comments about Tracy and Adelaide. I've especially enjoyed writing Tracy's evolution. I watched 'The episode that shall not be named' recently and really, I'd forgotten how annoying Adelaide's character was in her début scene. I like my characters better!
> 
> I have a particular fondness for the beginning of this chapter. I hope you all like it just as much!

Glasses perched on her nose and pen between her teeth, Myka sat on the couch in the study pouring over the Warehouse’s latest conundrum. Concentration was in short supply though as energetic chaos ensued around her.

Over the top of her open folder, she could see Adelaide kneeling on the office chair, an un-plugged headset sat atop her dark hair and her fingers tapping away at the keyboard.

Christina stood to one side, a pair of pane-less glasses perched on her nose and holding a stack of papers in her arms as she peered over her friend’s shoulder.

Myka didn’t know if they were pretending to be secret government agents or private investigators but she was intrigued nonetheless. With Christina’s limited knowledge of the modern world, Adelaide had taken the lead in this game but the agent could see that her daughter was catching on quickly.

“Miss Wells,” Adelaide began as she turned to face her friend. “Do you have the ‘tree house’ file?”

“Yes, Miss Sanders,” the young Victorian replied dutifully, scrabbling through the papers in her arms and almost dropping them. She pushed her glasses awkwardly up the bridge of her nose.

Myka bit her lip to keep from laughing. She vaguely remembered sitting in a large, empty box with her bear, pretending that she was lost at sea and approaching a deserted island. They had explored that island for hours before her sister interrupted and demanded to play with her. The box had quickly become a house and her bear, the baby. She briefly wondered what it would have been like to play make-believe with a young Helena Wells. What would they have discovered together on that island?

Christina discarded her burden on the corner of the desk and opened the ‘tree house’ file. “Two boys were witnessed climbing down the rope after midnight. They were captured on camera.” She pushed along a rough sketch of two figures in mid-air next to a tree with a roof.

“Have their parents been told?” Adelaide asked with authority and swivelled in the chair.

“I tried,” the brown-eyed girl informed her play-mate. “But they’re missing.” She gazed around the room for a source of inspiration and her eyes landed on the adult. “Mama... I mean, Agent Bering is investigating.”

Myka’s head shot up, her raised eyebrow causing both girls to break character temporarily and dissolve into a fit of giggles. The adult chuckled along for a moment before disappearing once more behind her file. “I’m on it, Boss,” she told them in jest.

As the laughter subsided, the girls returned to their game. There was a great deal of paper shuffling, typing and phone calls before the pair of them ran out of the room, mentioning something about collecting evidence.

Myka rubbed circles around her belly and said, “Freddy, you’re sister is loopy.”

Out in the garden, the children used a roll of string to create a crime scene around the tree and both had a sandwich bag into which they placed leaves, twigs, tiny pebbles and the occasional unfortunate bug. By the time Helena emerged from the basement to start making snacks for the tea party, the girls were back in the study, putting together their investigation.

Having managed to get some research done during the lull, Myka e-mailed her findings to Claudia and decided to join her fiancée in the kitchen. Approaching her lover from behind, the brunette placed her hands on slim hips and met her in a kiss.

“Jelly, cake _and_ ice-cream?” she wondered aloud, looking at the list of food items on the counter. “This is unlike you, Helena.”

HG rolled her eyes at the teasing. “A special occasion calls for a temporary deviation from the norm.”

“Can I expect such treatment next week?” Myka asked, referring to her upcoming birthday.

Resisting a smile, Helena continued cutting tuna-sandwiches into triangular quarters. “Why, is there an important event on the horizon? I’m not aware of anything,” she lied.

Green eyes narrowed at the teasing. Helena refused to admit that she knew of anything significant about the upcoming weekend, and Myka refused to be specific about her hints. Both knew that the other was being deliberately obtuse but each of them continued to wait for the other to crack. The game of wills was serving well as a way to add a little bit of adult entertainment to their routine.

“You don’t fool me for a moment,” Myka whispered into the shell of an ear as she reached over the inventor’s shoulder and snagged three slices of cucumber and a carrot stick. The cucumber she hardly chewed as she ate it but the stick of carrot she kept while she rounded the island and leant against the opposite side. She took it between her teeth and watched dark eyes wander from her exposed cleavage to her mouth. “You don’t mind me hovering, do you?”

HG cleared her throat and returned her attention to her cutting. “Not at all, darling,” she responded, wincing internally at the sound of her voice catching. “Hover away.”

“Be careful with that knife. You don’t want another incident like the time you burnt yourself,” Myka reminded her lover, trying again to get a rise out of her.

They continued the verbal back and forth for several minutes more, their gazes lengthening over the laying of the table and loading of the dishwasher until they stood by the sink slowly falling into one another.

Lips touched with gentle reverence while hands explored arms and faces. Just a moment. One small moment, that seemed to stretch beyond anything as mediocre as the fourth dimension. Into a world where the impossible became possible and true love lived indefinitely.

Reality entered the room in the form of two giggling children, effectively breaking the distracted women apart. With nothing left to carry, they remained hand in hand as they made their way to the dining room and sat down.

Christina and Adelaide arranged as many of the young Victorian’s stuffed animals as could fit around the table and then dressed them all in party hats before donning their own. Myka was already pulling elastic around her chin when her daughter said insistently, “Hat, Mummy.”

HG’s eyebrow rose as she levelled firm disapproval at the over-excited girl.

Christina deflated slightly and changed her tone. “Please?”

The inventor’s expression quickly softened. “Of course, love. What’s a party without funny hats?” she joked and pulled a face that made both girls laugh.

With the afternoon and most of Sunday still ahead of them, neither child was concerned with the prospect of their fun coming to an end. They enjoyed the food and the games, and took great delight in encouraging the adults to release their sillier sides.

Myka in particular basked in the goofier side of her lover, not once considering that her carefree weekend would soon take a nosedive.

* * * * *

A rhythmic buzzing tore the American agent from her peaceful slumber and she shuffled groggily from the warmth of her partner’s arms to reach for her mobile. With the early light of morning creeping through the pale fabric of the curtains, she groped around until she had what she needed and checked the caller ID.

Seeing her sister’s smiling face on the screen, she accepted the call with a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Trace?” she asked into the receiver. She felt Helena stir and knew that her concerned tone would pull her fiancée completely from her sleep. “Everything ok?”

“Myka, I’m sorry to wake you this early.”

Not hearing a huge amount of panic in her sister’s tone, Myka glanced at the clock which read 6:51 and attempted to pull herself into a seated position. “It’s not too bad,” the agent yawned and leant back against the headboard with a grunt. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Dad. He’s ok, but he was stacking shelves in the store and fell off the ladder. He might’ve cracked a bone where he landed on his arm so he’s in the hospital.”

Myka covered her eyes with a hand. If her father was in hospital that meant her mother would need help in the store. With recent events creating a distance between them, she knew that Tracy would be her mother’s first choice but her sister was in no position to leave home at the moment and her father was too tight to hire temporary help while there was an alternative available.

Helena sat up next to her and she could feel her bedfellow’s curious gaze. “Is he asking or is she asking?” Myka wondered as her tone became increasingly bitter.

“I’m asking,” came the soft reply.

The agent sighed. “Damn it, Trace. I can’t be righteous and angry if you’re going to guilt trip me.”

“That was the idea.” There was a pause after the brief teasing, during which the caller’s voice returned to its expression of sympathy. “I really am sorry, Myka... You could just tell them no.”

Myka nodded to herself. Yes, she could refuse to go. She had enough good reasons to not travel all the way to Colorado to help out but she knew she would go anyway. She would do it out of duty, because she wasn’t currently tied down by responsibilities for her job, she wasn’t so far gone in her pregnancy that she couldn’t be on her feet for a couple of hours every day, and at the very least, the time with her mother could potentially help to build a few bridges.

“I’ll talk it over with Helena and then give Mom a call. Do you know how long Dad has to stay in?”

HG waited patiently while her fiancée was on the phone, her mind piecing together snippets of information until she had a fairly good idea of what was happening. When the brunette finally wished her sister a fond farewell and hung up, she reached out for the nearest hand and entwined their fingers.

“Your father is in the hospital?” she asked gently.

Myka nodded solemnly. “He fell off a ladder in the store. It’s not too serious but he might need to be in for a night or two.”

“So he’ll not be able to work for some time and he wants you in the store?”

“For a couple of weeks at least. Maybe longer if he has to have a cast.” She leant her head back against the headboard, closed her eyes and groaned. She felt Helena move around and peeked over at her. “Should I go?”

“I would like to be very selfish and advise you to tell them to bugger off,” the inventor declared specifically to make her partner laugh. “But I know you’re far too generous to do that. I think we both know that you’re going to go and help.” She tucked a lock of wild hair behind Myka’s ear. “Shall we leave tomorrow, as soon as Nate has picked Adelaide up?”

Myka’s surprised expression morphed quickly into concern, acceptance and finally relief. She knew she wouldn’t cope with being away from her fiancée again for weeks and having her family with her would make the experience so much easier to bear. It would also give her a good excuse to spend non-working hours away from the bookstore and give her a chance to show her lover and daughter around the places she’d loved as a child.

“Is he still picking her up in the afternoon?” she checked as she began planning where they might stay in Colorado Springs. If it was more than a couple of weeks, it might be cheaper to sign a short-term lease on a small apartment rather than stay at a hotel. Christina would be better off having her own room.

“Sometime between three and four, depending on traffic,” HG answered. “We could aim to leave at five?”

“It’ll be very late by the time we get there. I don’t want to be travelling late. They can wait ‘til Monday.” The curly-haired agent imagined the first conversation with her mother after months and knew that it would go better if she wasn’t exhausted from lack of sleep. “I’m not rushing around for them,” she added, her tone fluctuating back and forth now between loving toward Helena and bitter toward her parents.

The inventor agreed that they were better off setting out early Monday and the pair rose reluctantly from their bed to greet the day. They walked passed Christina’s room to the sound of silence from within and made their way quietly down to the kitchen in pyjamas and fluffy slippers.

They took their morning drinks into the living room and curled up at opposite ends of the couch so that their legs entwined between them.

HG watched her fiancée’s face disappear behind the newspaper and knew that Myka would spend the next little while debating her decision to go to Colorado and considering all the possible scenarios waiting for them there. This unexpected development was going to put a dampener on her plans for Myka’s birthday but she by no means felt deterred from giving her lover the celebration she deserved, it was just going to take some tweaking.

Helena spent the better part of the morning searching for hotels and apartments while Myka spoke to her sister and briefly to her mother to confirm that her presence was needed. The conversation with her mother had been short but by no means painless. It made the agent want to massage the bridge of her nose whenever she thought back to it.

_“Hello?” Mrs Bering’s voice answered cautiously after the fifth ring._

_“Hi, Mom,” Myka greeted with equal trepidation. “How’s Dad?” she asked, attempting to divert attention away from her for a few minutes._

_“He’s fine. He’s complaining about being kept in hospital. He’s worried that the insurance won’t cover it.” Jeannie’s voice reflected her husband’s concerns and Myka felt her natural sympathies rise to the fore._

_“I helped Dad choose that policy, you should be fine, but Helena and I can help if you need it.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew she’d said the wrong thing._

_“That won’t be necessary,” Jeannie replied sharply._

_Myka sighed, exasperated. “Mom, you know she and Christina will be coming with me if you want me to help out for a while, right? I’m not spending an entire month away from my family.”_

_There was silence on the other end for several seconds and then, “Tracy mentioned that you were expecting?”_

_The agent closed her eyes, suddenly realising why her mother had seemed to start their conversation with an almost friendly tone. “Yes, we’re expecting a boy in July.”_

_“Myka, don’t you think a boy needs a father?” the admonishing reply came._

_“I think every child needs family that shows them love and acceptance, which our son will have. Something that not every child has, even with a mother and a father,” she shot back, making it quite clear that she was referring to herself. “Look,” she added after a pause. “Do you want me to come and help out or not?”_

_“Your father would have better peace of mind with you in charge,” the older woman conceded._

_“Fine. We’re going to lease an apartment in the city for a month, so you don’t have to worry about having house guests. Tell Dad not to worry about the cost; we’re going to treat it like a sort of holiday.”_

She hung up shortly after confirming that she would arrive on Monday afternoon and return Tuesday to open up the shop. The rest of her morning was filled with packing a month’s worth of supplies for her and Christina and informing her Warehouse family of the arrangements.

It wasn’t until much later in the evening, after another flurry of activity from the pair of energetic eight-year-olds, that Helena’s thoughts brought her back round to their upcoming journey and an idea came to mind.

“Darling?” she called into the en-suite bathroom as she sat on the bed, rubbing cream into her hands. She waited until Myka appeared in the doorway, toothbrush in hand and a quizzical expression on her face. “What do you think about spending tomorrow night in the city?”

Green eyes blinked and stared into space for all of three seconds before a smile tugged at Agent Bering’s mouth. “We could take Christina out to dinner and be close to the airport ready for Monday?” she elaborated, liking the idea very much. Being in the city reminded her of the night she and Helena had renewed their physical relationship. What better way was there to cement their feeling of unison before the trial of dealing with her parents? She ‘skipped’ across the bedroom and pulled inventor into a kiss. “I love it!” she said before retreating into the bathroom to finish her pre-bed ritual.

Helena grinned to herself and stared at the open bathroom door in a slight daze. In her mind, she began to put together a list of items to pack for their journey and people she needed to contact with details of her burgeoning idea.

“We’ll show your parents what they’re missing,” she whispered as the pieces began to come together.

* * * * *

Christina barely had time to lament the loss of her friend the following afternoon as her parents hugged her fiercely and then sent her off to fetch her suitcase. She wandered back upstairs with a mixed sense of melancholy and anticipation. After finding both agents curled up on the couch the previous morning, they had made sweet-potato pancakes and heard the news of her grandfather’s unfortunate accident. She was unsure how she felt about seeing her Mama’s mummy and daddy, but the idea of exploring the bookshop where one of her beloved parents had spent their youth was first on her mind. Mama had even mentioned the possibility of her being a trainee shop assistant if Jeannie Bering was open to the idea.

As they began their journey to Rapid City to stay for the night, the young girl reviewed the weekend with her BFF, patiently explaining to her Mummy what the acronym stood for and why it was so important to have one, and relating the details involved in ‘cracking their case’.

Myka chuckled often, at both the adorable recitation and the expression of painful patience on her lover’s face at times, which a frown occasionally replaced when the girl’s dialogue dropped in the odd colloquialism. On the open stretch of the I90, with very little traffic to hamper their progress, she reached across the divide between chairs and wrapped her hand around her fiancée’s. The comfort she found in that small gesture instantly calmed the pessimistic thoughts in her brain and the uncomfortable churning that sat in the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about walking into her childhood home the next day and coming face to face with her mother.

The obedient little girl inside of her wanted to apologise for being the catalyst for their distance, but she fought the feeling down each time it tried to fill her thoughts. She didn’t have anything to apologise for. If anything, she was owed an apology for being treated like a criminal merely for being in love. She had to try not to let her mother’s attitude get to her but knew that it would be a difficult task if the woman continued to spout her ignorant beliefs with abandon. Not to mention the struggle that would occur if she said anything to upset either Christina or Helena.

A little voice warned her not to expose her family to the negative energy from her mother but she knew that her partner would not let her face this trial alone and for that, she was grateful. If the worst came to the worst then she would offer her apologies to her father and, if he was in a generous mood, advise him to hire someone who wouldn’t offend her mother’s sensibilities. Just the thought of being able to say something like that to her parents brought a proud smile to her features. She felt strong and knew that a lot of that confidence came from the woman sitting next to her, holding her hand... and her heart.

Helena had booked a suite at a hotel on the city boarder with quick access to their route to the airport and only a few blocks from the restaurant where they’d had their first official date. They carried their overnight bags up from the car and took out everything they would need for the evening.

Christina saw the size of her double bed next to her parents’ double bed and spent ten minutes rolling all over it before they could persuade her to leave the room.

“Mama?” Christina began as she waited with her parents at the service station to be seated.

“Yes, Sweetheart?” Myka answered, looking down at the young girl with her best attentive expression.

“When can I visit Addy’s house?”

The American hesitated and exchanged a glance with her fiancée. “Well, I suppose when she and her father offer an invitation.”

The eight-year-old thought about this as they followed a man in uniform to a table by a window and sat down. “But it was Addy’s daddy who first asked if she could stay with us before Christmas. So you and Mummy could arrange for me to visit if you wanted to,” she reasoned.

Helena sent the waiter away with a request for a jug of water and turned to her daughter. “I will speak with Adelaide’s father and see if we cannot arrange something. Though you must not build your hopes up too high; I do not know how he will answer.”

Christina sulked in her seat for several minutes; pushing her napkin around in front of her while the adults chose what they wanted to eat and left her to her thoughts. When they started discussing their prolonged stay in Colorado Springs and the places they might like to visit though, her ears pricked up and her disappointment was quickly forgotten.

* * * * *

“Mummy, may I have pudding?” Christina asked almost an hour later.

Their waiter had returned after removing their plates to offer them the coffees and desserts menu. He sincerely hoped that the two women allowed the girl a treat. He had rarely met such a polite and well-behaved child. There was a puzzle book beside her but she had barely touched it in favour of chatting with her parents. He had heard more than one snide comment muttered about the couple that evening but for himself, he’d gladly have them back every night.

“Are you certain that you have room in there?” the inventor asked, gesturing to the girl’s stomach. “You’re eyes are not too big for your belly?”

“I have room,” the eight-year-old insisted.

Myka felt Helena’s eyes on her and smiled. “It won’t be long ‘til bedtime, but I think we all deserve a treat so how about we share something?”

Christina’s face lit up and the waiter made some recommendations before leaving them to decide. They spent five minutes deliberating over three or four items before choosing warm chocolate brownies and mint ice-cream. Myka ordered a decaf-coffee with hers and Helena braved the tea.

When it arrived, HG took a small spoon-full of the mountainous construction and found it bordering on the sickly side of her pallet. Not so much that she couldn’t enjoy a couple of mouthfuls though. At one point, she made the mistake of glancing at her fiancée just as Myka’s lips embraced her spoon and sucked ice-cream from it. She wasn’t sure how long her own spoon hovered in front of her mouth as she watched a tongue caress the concave surface, but when low down muscles tightened in sympathy and a small moan escaped her throat, she had to fill her mouth with food and pretend that her enjoyment was for purely gastronomic reasons.

Knowing green orbs assessed her every move with mischievous amusement.

When it was time to leave, HG again tipped well and made a mental note of another restaurant that they might return to when next in Rapid City. They strolled back to the car and Christina spotted a poster on the side of a building advertising a water theme park in the area.

“You could take me there for my birthday!” the child declared with hyper-excitement, her sugar-rush in full force.

“Yes, we could,” Helena teased.

Almost rolling her eyes, the young girl turned to her other parent. “Will you take me there? Nine is such an important birthday after all. It’s the last time I’ll be in single figures,” she carefully explained the significance in case the American was somehow unaware.

Myka noted the brief faraway look in her lover’s eyes and knew that there was a more sombre reason that her daughter’s next birthday was so significant.  Gently squeezing the small hand in her own she said, “We will certainly look into it, Sweetheart. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know how well you can swim. We’re all going to need bathing suits and we might have to put in some practise beforehand.”

“I can swim! Mummy and I used to swim in the sea!”

Helena confirmed this statement with a nod and put the curly-haired agent a little more at ease. She was a fair swimmer herself but had no experience of rescuing someone else from the water, least of all while carrying a whole other person inside of her.

“I have no experience of modern attire when it comes to aquatic activities,” the inventor began with a teasing tone and a flutter of her lashes. “I don’t suppose you’d be open to the idea of assisting me while I choose the appropriate bathing suit, would you, darling?”

Myka swallowed hard. “No problem,” she squeaked.

While the adults discussed shopping trips and changing rooms, Christina let her mind wander over birthday parties, swimming and the plane ride they were going to take in the morning. She’d never been on a plane with her Mama before and was eager to show her all the things she liked to look at when they were in the air. As her imagination took her to lofty heights, a portion of her subconscious took note of something across the street. A car, an eye and an almost indistinguishable flash of light. Cars weren’t very interesting though and before the thought could make its way to her consciousness, it was lost.

Across the street, that eye kept watch.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early update as I'm off to Wales for the weekend!  
> Welcome to Bering and 'Sons'...

“Helena, do we really need all this?” Myka whispered in an aside as their guide walked them through their temporary apartment and explained all of the available amenities. “We could have settled for something less swanky.”

“Nothing is too good for you, darling,” the inventor whispered back and stole a quick kiss. “Besides, if your days are to be filled with the potential for stress, I will fill your evenings with nothing but rest and relaxation. Something to keep in mind if either of your parents begin to test your patience.”

They followed Christina and Mr Sanchez through the living room to the kitchen, bed rooms and finally the balcony, which gave the four of them a spectacular view of the Cheyenne mountain. Despite balking at the thought of how much money her fiancée must have spent, Myka had to admit that she appreciated being given the chance to see her childhood home from a new perspective.

They had arrived in Colorado Springs around midday, their plane having left South Dakota just before nine. Now, just past one o’clock, Helena signed for their apartment and committed them to paying for an entire month.

The moment their guide left them alone, Myka turned to Helena and grabbed her by the collar to pull her into a heated kiss. There were no words to express the joy she felt in that moment.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” the brunette murmured against a cheek once she released her partner. She sank into the inventor’s arms and let her forehead rest against soft strands of raven hair. “I wouldn’t like to be doing this alone.” She could hear the cry of a hawk somewhere in the distance and the melodic hum of her child from one of the bedrooms close by. It was surreal hearing the two such familiar sounds coming together from two such different periods of her life. To be standing in the arms of her idol, best friend, lover and soul mate; a part of her still marvelled at the possibility.

“That was the idea, was it not?” Helena asked in reference to their discussions with Abigail. “No more trying to struggle through without help.” She wrapped her hands over the American’s hips and pulled her back into another lengthy kiss, capturing lips with her own again and again, washing away any lingering uncertainty.

Once they were all unpacked, the three of them hopped back in the car and drove into the city centre for lunch. They parked up within easy walking distance of the bookstore so that when they were finished they could split up.

The faces that Myka recognised as she walked down busy streets and sat with her fiancée and daughter in a side-street cafe, all looked twice as they spotted her. People she had been to school with, served at the store or who were friends and acquaintances of her parents; she smiled politely when they caught her eye but otherwise attempted to ignore their presence.

After re-fuelling, the American pointed her partner in the direction of some local sights, agreed that they would meet at the bookshop at four and kissed the Brit in plain view of the street. She walked in the opposite direction, a dreamy smile painting her lips until she came within sight of her name and that of her non-existent brothers.

The ‘closed’ sign was clearly visible as she approached and she pulled out her key to let herself in. A clear memory came to mind of walking through this door a couple of years ago, heartbroken, used and betrayed; she could never have imagined returning with so much happiness filling her. It wasn’t without a sense of anxious anticipation though that she locked the door behind her and went in search of her mother.

Upstairs voices drew her attention and she followed them until she found herself standing in the living room doorway, watching her mother bustling around her father.

“Jeannie, it’s barely a scratch, stop fussing,” Warren complained. “What time’s Myka getting here?”

The agent heard the barest note of excitement in her father’s tone and smiled a little. “I’m here, Dad,” she announced herself.

“About time,” he grumbled, though there was enough of a sparkle behind his gaze not to give offence. “I don’t know why everybody jumps to attention over a little fall, but it’s good to see you anyway kiddo.”

Myka felt a rare impulse to hug her father but decided that it could wait ‘til he was standing. She didn’t want to crush him. She had had the odd moment in the middle of the night when she would wake up and worry that she was crushing her lover but Helena always just smiled and cuddled closer. She watched as her parents’ gazes shifted over her baby-bump and smiled to herself as they both struggled for words.

“I thought you were supposed to be staying in hospital another night?” she questioned with a frown, taking pity on their reticence and pretending that she hadn’t noticed their hesitation.

He waved away her concern. “I’m not letting my premiums rocket for a trifling thing like this. Come in. Sit down,” he barked abruptly.

Myka did as she was told and watched her mother make a quiet exit. _Well, it’s better than listening to more accusations,_ she thought. She could cope with uncomfortable silence. “What’s the diagnosis?”

“A sprain,” Warren mumbled and then at his daughter’s hard look added, “And a slight crack,” he admitted.

“And how long did they say you have to rest for?” Myka probed further.

“A few days should be enough. Hardly worth you having come so far but you may as well come and visit more often while you’re around.”

The observant agent saw the tell-tale signs of avoidance on her father’s gruff features and frowned. “Why do I not entirely believe you?” she smirked.

Jeannie re-entered the room, carrying a tray and rolling her eyes. “That’s because you have good instincts and your father is a terrible liar,” she announced as she set the tray down and placed a hand on each hip. “Two weeks _minimum_ , the doctor said.” She took a cup from the tray and offered it to her daughter. “It’s decaf,” she explained briefly before disappearing again.

Myka barely had time to say a surprised ‘thank you’ and felt a sudden tingle at the back of her throat before she grabbed hold of her emotions and reined them in. “I can’t help with much lifting around the store but Helena says she’s happy to offer a hand too and Christina is eager to learn the ropes. She loves books and she’s so excited about seeing the shop,” she rambled, cutting through the awkward pause that her mother left in her wake.

Warren grunted. “Where is the little spitfire? I thought they were coming with you,” he asked in confusion.

“I thought it best to test the waters before throwing them in here,” Myka explained as she sipped her coffee and glanced at the door.

“Tracy’s been on the phone with her almost every other day.” Mr Bering coughed through his embarrassment and needlessly adjusted his sling. “Might’ve had a few words to say to me on the subject too,” he added.

“I’d never have thought it,” she said of her sister’s involvement. “If I’d have given much thought to any of your reactions, I’m sure I’d have pictured this completely differently. Tracy’s been a God send,” she said, unaware of how those words would affect the older woman listening from the adjoining room. “Family is important to both Helena and I. You don’t know how much it means to have Trace, Kevin and Daniel be a part of that.”

“Give us time, Myka. Your mother loves you. She’s worried for you,” he added in defence of his wife.

Rolling her eyes a little, Myka nodded. She understood her mother’s reasons; she just didn’t accept or condone them. “I know, Dad. It doesn’t make it right though... It doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

Eyes avoided direct contact for several heartbeats until, by silent, mutual agreement, they turned the topic to the store and recent business developments. At quarter to four, they were down on the shop floor, looking at the delivery rota for the coming weeks and deciding on the best times for Myka to come by and help.

Contrary to his usually strict adherence to business hours, Warren insisted on reduced opening times to accommodate Myka’s condition, refusing to take no for an answer.

“Dad, I’m pregnant. I’m not the invalid here,” she tried to remind him but he was having none of it.

“You’ve packed up your family to come here and help a stubborn, old man. No doubt you paid over the odds for that place you’re staying at; I know it’s not cheap, so I insist that you take the time to enjoy yourselves.”

Myka hesitated between the rising affection in her belly and her own stubbornness. After a minute’s staring match, she relented. “I suppose it would be nice to show Helena and Christina all my old haunts. But you have to promise that you’re not going to sneak into work while I’m not here.” She pointed her finger right at her father and fixed him with her hardest stare. “Mom and I might not be on the best of terms but if there’s one thing I know I can count on, she will turn you in if you don’t rest up like you’re supposed to.”

Warren Bering almost gawped at the strong, confident woman sitting opposite him. He had noticed subtle changes in her over the years but she had never been so forward in her dealings with him. “Is that any way to talk to your father?” he asked with a fraction of his usual force.

Myka refused to back away from his gaze, her eyes smiling at the shock on his face. “It is when I know that you rarely follow doctors’ orders. I came here to help and you’re going to let me help.”

They were still bickering by the time a light tapping came from the door and the agent swung around to beam at the faces behind the glass. She pulled the key from her pocket and let in a whirlwind of energy... and her fiancée.

Christina took several quick steps and then paused to stare around, her impressionable mind taking in every little detail and marvelling at it all. “Gosh, Mama did you really used to live here?”

Myka locked the door behind the newcomers and met her lover’s hello-kiss before addressing the question. “I grew up here. Remember I told you that I used to work in the shop with my Dad on Saturdays when I was your age?”

“She sure did,” Warren moved from behind the register, eliciting a tiny jump and a back-step from the eight-year-old. “Best little helper I had, though I often lost track of her when she found a book she liked.” He glanced fondly at his daughter and then back over his glasses at the young girl.

“Aunt Tracy didn’t like working in the bookstore?” Christina asked, finding her confidence once again. Her Mama had warned her that Warren Bering liked to appear gruff and irascible, even more so than Grandpa Artie, but that he was actually a very caring person. His expression was certainly much less stern than the last time she’d seen him.

“Goodness, no. Tracy was much too interested in her parties and sleepovers. Couldn’t get that girl to sit still for five minutes, let alone get her interested in staying in a place with a world of things that don’t move.” He pulled a stool from next to the counter and sat on it as he looked down into eyes that reminded him of his first-born. “Myka... Your Mama,” he forcibly corrected himself. “She could spend hours here tucked up in a corner somewhere, devouring one book after another. Her mother used to badger her about making friends. She always insisted that these were her friends. Usually I found her in the science-fiction section,” he added as he got caught up in the memory and missed the hint of panic on his daughter’s face.

“Ok, Dad. How about a quick tour before we take off?” Myka asked as she tried to derail his train of thought.

Helena smirked knowingly. She had remained unobtrusive so as not to overly draw attention to herself but hearing this account of her lover’s formative years, she couldn’t help but make her thoughts known. “Where precisely in the science-fiction section?” she asked, ignoring her partner’s segue.

Still ignorant of the silent exchange; the teasing that was unfolding right before him, he chuckled. “Oh, usually curled up with HG Wells.”

Myka bit her lip and Helena grinned as she watched a tongue sooth over worried flesh. “Not much has changed there then.”

Warren wondered at the heightened colour in his daughter’s cheeks and finally gathered that the two women were communicating over some inside joke. He thought back on his words but couldn’t see where they might have found the humour. “Did I miss something?”

Christina observed the interaction with a keen eye, watching the subtle way her parents played with words and sparked mischief. Usually, their teasing didn’t make much sense to her but she felt a swell of something like pride as she recognised that Mr Bering knew nothing of their connection to the famed author. “It’s Mummy’s name. She _is_ HG Wells,” she offered helpfully.

Helena blushed slightly at her daughter’s declaration. She turned a sheepish expression on her future father-in-law, who looked unbelievingly back at her. “Helena George Wells,” she admitted.

“George?” Warren questioned, still not quite believing the coincidence.

“I believe the story goes that my mother intended it to be Georgina. There are varying accounts of interference from interested parties but in the end, George prevailed.” The inventor suspected her grandmother’s influence in the chosen appellation.

“Ah.” Mr Bering nodded, finally understanding and choosing not to revisit the topic of their previous conversation now that the Brit’s meaning was plain. It was one thing to accept that his daughter was happy in her relationship, but quite another to acknowledge the intricacies that entailed. “Well, how about that tour?”

Myka was quick to agree and followed behind her family while her father explained his system, pointed out the different sections and debated the need for more seating with Helena. As her partner fell into a debate about comfort for the customer and increased revenue for the business, she noticed her daughter’s attention wavering and suggested that they visit her old bedroom. An excited bounce and sparkling eyes were all the answer she needed.

Christina grabbed her Mama’s hand and followed her through the shop to the private entrance to the upstairs apartment. She took note of the boards that squeaked underfoot, unconsciously planning a quieter exit. Thoughts like that often slipped into her head without her realising what she was doing. It had become a game of sorts to practise being stealthy. At the top of the stairs, she could hear the sound of cupboards opening and closing, and looked up at her mother with questioning eyes.

Myka’s gaze drifted down the hall for a brief second before turning back on her child with reassurance. “This way,” she nodded in the opposite direction.

There were only a couple of small boxes stacked in one corner of her room as Myka entered, and she breathed a sigh that she wouldn’t have to navigate a dozen crates just to find her bed. She watched her child’s bright expression as the eight-year-old began to explore and sat down on the bed to enjoy the show. Christina’s unabashed enthusiasm brought a wistful smile to the agent’s lips and though her eidetic memory was recording everything anyway, she made particular efforts to store every little detail about the way the light bounced off dark curls and the sounds of inquisitive chatter echoed around them.

“Where are the secrets, Mama?” Christina asked as she finally stopped skipping around the room and came to a wobbly rest next to her mother.

“Secrets?” Myka wondered with a chuckle.

“Yes. You like treasures that hide behind puzzles,” the girl pointed out logically. “Therefore, you have to have secrets in here.”

Thinking that her daughter was very observant and remembering a particular puzzle that she’d solved, mostly through faith in her fiancée, she answered, “My greatest treasure currently in this room is you.” She poked a dainty nose that twitched at her touch and laughed at the indignant expression that followed. “Secrets?” she repeated, only to be met with stern impatience at her teasing. “Ok, let me see.”

Myka held a finger to her lips and let her eyes scan the room as her memory searched through years of squirreling away books, diaries and trinkets from prying eyes. Mostly those of her sneaky younger sister. She recalled the jewellery box that she’d removed on her last visit and a dozen other items that, for one reason or another, were no longer around. Soon, her gaze lighted on a chest of drawers.

“Mummy is much better at making hiding places than me,” she explained carefully. “But I did have a trick or two up my sleeve whenever I _really_ wanted to hide something from Tracy.” She didn’t add that she often wanted to hide things from her parents too. She didn’t want to encourage more secrecy than was normal for an eight-year-going-on-nine-year-old.

“May I see?” the girl asked, her renewed bouncing making her curls dance.

Myka held out her right hand with all the fingers fisted but the last. “Pinky-swear never to tell anyone?”

Christina wrapped her smallest finger around the one offered and said in her most serious tone, “I swear, Mama.”

The agent approached the piece of old furniture and opened the top, right-hand drawer. She felt around for a moment before finding the old piece of string she’d fixed there long ago, and pulled. There was a soft, sliding sound before something papery thudded to the floor behind the chest. Myka looked back at the occupant of the bed and grinned at the complete delight on her daughter’s features. She winked before gesturing with her head for the girl to come over.

“Will you reach under there and grab that for me, please?”

The eight-year-old bounded across the room and, mindless of the dust, sank to her hands and knees to scrabble around for the discovered treasure. Her touch eventually found what she was looking for and she teased it closer before whipping it out in triumph. “I got it!”

Leading them back to sit on the bed, the adult pulled her daughter against her side. “My Dad was right about my friends being mostly books,” she confessed without much regret. “These are letters that I used to write to my favourite characters and authors.” She pulled the string from around the bundle and picked off the top one to hand to her curious child.

Christina handled the envelope with reverence and carefully brushed off a layer of dust to read ‘L M Alcott, Beacon Hill, Boston, MA’ beside a hand-drawn stamp. “Who is it to?” She asked after trying for a few seconds to work out who the author or character was.

“Among other things, she wrote a series of stories about a family of sisters, which people know today as ‘Little Women’. It’s a very good story. We’ll have to read it sometime.” She remembered every word written in that letter verbatim, but at the expression of bubbling curiosity in dark eyes, she told the eight-year-old to open it.

“Really?” Christina asked, open-mouthed with surprise.

Myka chuckled. “What good are secrets if you have no one special to share them with?”

The girl scrambled up onto her knees, threw her arms around her mother’s shoulders and placed a kiss on her cheek. “You’re special, Mama.”

“Thank you, Sweetheart,” the agent managed to whisper as she forced back the tears that sprang to her eyes. “Open it,” she demanded.

As excitement grew, the girl carefully peeled open the back of the envelope and slid the letter from its confines. The decades old paper had yellowed slightly, somehow giving this moment greater significance. Christina unfolded the pages and handed them to her mother, insisting that the adult read her own words.

In the hallway beyond the small bedroom, Jeannie Bering once again listened in to the interaction between parent and child. She didn’t normally condone eavesdropping, but at the insistence of her youngest daughter, she had agreed to take another look at her eldest child’s unconventional relationship and try to see it with an open mind. Tracy had spent time with her sister’s new family and could find no fault with them. Mrs Bering found this difficult to believe and after many conversations with the new mother, she not only worried that this ‘Helena’ was a poor influence on her little girl, but worried that other disapproving members of society might think to take matters into their own hands. She might not agree with Myka’s choices but she still cared about her baby’s safety.

She kept telling herself that she could persuade Myka to rethink her choices and return to the child she had known. She blamed her husband for making their daughter think that he wanted her to be a boy. She blamed herself for encouraging Myka to push harder and reach further to find her goals. Perhaps she should have taught the girl to be more traditional, but then she knew, as her husband had pointed out, that their daughter would have balked at the suggestion and would never have been truly happy.

She couldn’t fathom how her baby was going to find her place in the home with no husband. The idea just would not settle in her mind. Tracy had tried to tell her that she had thought the same until she’d seen Myka and Helena together, but even with her youngest child’s reassurance, she wasn’t sold.

At her continued insistence that Myka couldn’t possibly be able to maintain a stable environment for a family with another woman, Tracy had lost her temper and told her mother in no uncertain terms that Jeannie had to make an effort to see the evidence for herself.

So here she was. Originally determined to find the faults she _knew_ were there, but struggling to maintain that belief as she witnessed the familial love between her daughter and the interloper’s little angel.

It was Myka’s laugh that had really drawn her attention. Yes, she had heard the footsteps on the stairs and knew that they weren’t her husband’s but mostly, she chose to ignore their presence. As her daughter’s uninhibited joy filtered through to the kitchen though, curiosity got the better of her.

Now, she was torn. There was no denying that the new people in Myka’s life were making her happy; particularly this adorable bundle of energy who now called her ‘Mama’.

She thought back to the words she’d heard earlier that afternoon; the importance of family and the support Tracy was giving her older sister. ‘God send’ Myka had said. Those words acted on Jeannie in opposing directions. Her belief had always been at the heart of her sense of family, but ‘family’ was not what she saw between Myka and the woman she lived with.

For the first time, she began to wonder if the two were not as disparate as she’d first assumed. Certainly, she couldn’t refute that Christina was a happy, healthy child who appeared no worse for her situation. She had pitied the girl and worried about the influences she was being subjected to but again, Myka’s words came back to her; what better foundation could a child have than love and acceptance? Even from the humblest beginnings, these corner stones were of vital importance.

Thoughts swimming, Jeannie retreated from just beyond the doorway to Myka’s old room and returned to the kitchen.

* * * * *

Helena despaired at Mr Bering’s stubborn nature as she tried multiple times to make him see the benefits of change but rather than become fed up, she was buoyed by the challenge. Though she felt her efforts would bear no fruit today, she pictured the month ahead of them and made a mental note of the things she would have him agree to by the end of that period.

“I can see you’re not going to be deterred easily but I warn you now, neither am I!” Warren insisted in his grouchiest tone. He watched the Brit’s eyebrow rise in temporary acceptance and grunted to himself. “Stubborn. You’re where she gets her gumption from lately.”

HG smiled, pride filling her at the thought of her fiancée’s growing confidence. “I like to think that I did _something_ to help with that but she hardly needed it. I think she comes by it naturally because she’s happy with who she is.”

“She is happy, I’ll give you that.” Warren marched them back to the cash register and instructed the raven-haired woman to pull out his stocktaking record and place it on the counter. “I have no issues with your being here to help out so long as there are no shenanigans. I’ll not have you making a scandal in front of my customers.”

“You have my word,” Helena agreed, tucking away any fantasy of making out with her lover in the science-fiction section. “Though I make no promise to deny my relationship with Myka, or not look at her like she is the beacon I cling to in the dark. I love her and I will not attempt to hide that.”

“Huh, you certainly have a way with words. You talk like a book. I suppose that is part of the attraction,” he mumbled to himself, not troubling to keep his thoughts to himself.

“I could wax lyrical about Myka from dawn ‘til dusk, every day. Words are never truly enough though,” the inventor lamented softly.

“There are no issues with either of you taking time away from your jobs then?” Mr Bering not so smoothly diverted the topic again. “I know you mentioned something about research when we met at Tracy’s. I hope you’re not still letting her chase after those dangerous objects?” He gazed over the top of his spectacles, his eyes hard as he waited to size up her reaction.

Helena bristled and felt a churning shame all at the same time. It annoyed her that he thought that she should dictate Myka’s choices even as she knew that she had already made that mistake once. His enquiry came from a place of love and concern, and that was what she focused on as she formed her answer.

“Mr Bering you are aware that the nature of our work is somewhat... clandestine? It is not a career that one is ever truly able to leave, no matter one’s desire to do so. As consultants and researchers, we are perhaps in the least hazardous path, but we are both aware that unique risks will continue to pass our way. We shall endeavour to meet them as a team.” She paused to note his worried expression and continued, injecting a little more confidence into her tone. “She is a remarkable agent. You need not doubt her ability to protect herself and others, and I would die before I let her come to mortal harm. That said, I trust her to make her own decisions regarding her work, and she trusts me to talk to her if I have concerns.”

“And you think that’s enough?” the worried father continued to probe.

“It is a work in progress. It has not been easy for us to make compromises but we continue to try.” She sighed and wondered briefly how much she really needed to tell Myka’s father, but talking to someone else about these issues was somehow freeing. “Neither of us is easy with the lack of structure. We’ve been trying to turn our interests to our future and our family, but we are both driven by our careers and steering those ambitions in a different direction has been a challenge.”

Warren nodded along, easily picturing his eldest chomping at the bit while sitting behind a desk. Despite the knowledge that Myka could happily spend hours reading, when her mind was not actively engaged, she was always off on one task or another. “She always wants something to keep her busy.”

“I know that Myka has her doubts over being here with Christina and me for an entire month,” Helena explained cautiously. “However, I believe that she is looking forward to being back in the shop.”

“Well, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not saying that I’m happy to have fallen off a ladder, but if it brings my girl home for a while, I’ll try to make the most of it,” Warren joked a little to hide his disappointment over not seeing his daughter enough.

“You are always welcome to visit,” HG reminded him. “We have more than enough room.”

“Ah, well,” he coughed to cover his awkwardness and thinking of his wife said, “We’ll see how things get along over the next few weeks, shall we?”

“That is perhaps best,” the inventor agreed ruefully. “I should see to where Myka and Christina have disappeared. We will need to be leaving soon,” she noted as she looked at her watch and realised that over an hour had passed.

* * * * *

Hours later, after dinner out at one of Myka’s favourite restaurants, a quick game of junior scrabble and the usual bedtime preparations, the tall agent slipped out of the cosy warmth of her temporary bed. She pulled her thick, fluffy dressing gown over her pyjamas, tugged on her winter slippers and wandered into the living room, expecting to find Helena pottering about with one thing or another. When a quick scan of the attached kitchen revealed no movement, Myka glanced at the door to the balcony and there found what she was looking for.

The night air was frigid with the crispness of spring, the warmth of the sun having disappeared behind the mountains long ago.

“Hey,” Myka whispered into the semi-dark as she approached her fiancée. “Here you are.” Her tone was not yet worried, but it held unspoken questions.

Helena’s face angled toward the mountains, her expression teetering on a cusp between serene and thoughtful, though as she heard the opening of the door and her lover’s voice, a smile tugged at her mouth. Her head turned to pick out her partner’s figure in the dark and she held out a hand in supplication. “Join me?”

Not needing to be asked twice, the American slid into HG’s arms, her own wrapping around a trim waist and her lips automatically finding her mate’s. “Why are we standing out in the cold?” Myka murmured against the corner of the Brit’s mouth once they came up for air.

Helena shifted to pull her partner closer and nuzzled into freshly washed hair. “Just... thinking.”

Relaxing as she let her head flop against the inventor’s shoulder, Myka breathed deeply, absorbing the tranquillity of the moment. “About?” she wondered aloud.

HG took a moment to consider her words carefully. Her thoughts had turned to the day she had spoken to Myka after her failed attempt to start another ice-age and the American’s subsequent flight from all things Warehouse related. She didn’t want to give her fiancée cause for alarm.

“You recall the day Mrs Fredrick allowed me to speak to you from Regent-prison?” She felt Myka stiffen in her arms and stroked her hands tenderly across the brunette’s back. “I was just thinking about how fortunate I was to be in the shop with you today, in the flesh... Now, I’m thinking that I am very fortunate to be able to physically hold you.” She kissed Myka’s forehead and sighed. “There have not been many moments in my life when I have taken the time to simply appreciate what I have.”

“I think that can be said of most of us,” Myka said as she turned her head against Helena’s shoulder to gaze at the faint silhouette of the mountains against the sky. Taking her cue from the Brit, she memorised the skyline and her lover’s scent; the sound of the wind moving through branches and the security of knowing that she was in strong arms with nothing more pressing to do than sleep.

It felt good to be active and useful but sometimes it felt better to take a moment to just... absorb.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next... Myka's birthday!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is everyone sitting around, twiddling their thumbs and grumbling about the lack of an update? ;-) I really wanted to put this up yesterday, but my Internet went down on Friday and it's not due to be fixed before Tuesday! Grr. Thankfully, I have RL friends who are willing to share their wifi.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on the last chapter/story so far. Welcome to new readers! You're reviews give me hope that the next few chapters will be well received. So, as promised at the end of the last chapter, here's Myka's birthday...

Myka’s eyes narrowed, her attention fixed on her fiancée as Helena knelt next to their daughter and whispered in the girl’s ear. “Are you conspiring against me over there?” she called across the small apartment.

“Never you mind,” HG called back, her grin mischievous as she waved her lover away.

Rolling her eyes, the brunette smiled to herself as she continued chopping carrots. This evening marked the end of their third day in Colorado Springs and tomorrow was her birthday. Her father had tried to convince her not to come to the store in the morning, but besides wanting to see her parents on the day of her birth, she knew that Helena had something up her sleeve and wanted to give her space to put her plan into action. Popping a slice of carrot in her mouth, she let her free hand rest against her bump and soothed over the little kicks from inside.

“I can’t wait for you to meet your Mummy,” she whispered to the boy making all the fuss. “She really is something.”

* * * * *

After an evening finishing a jigsaw and promising an eight-year-old that she wouldn’t stay up too late, Myka woke early Friday morning to the feel of hands stroking her arms and kisses on her shoulder.

She had anticipated something like this. Though intimacy had become effortless again and they wasted no opportunity to share even the smallest heated glance, this was the first birthday that either of them had spent together and there was no doubting that the Brit would strive to make it particularly memorable. Myka knew without a doubt that starting the day by making love would be the first thing on Helena’s itinerary. She knew this because it was the first on _hers_.

She smiled to herself as she rose completely from her dream and captured a wandering hand with her own.

Desire surged swiftly from within as she found her lover’s fingers with her lips, pulling them tight against her tongue and shivering as Helena’s groan reverberated against the back of her neck. Her head turned to meet a questing mouth and she pushed the inventor’s hand passed the elastic of her shorts.

A wayward thought questioned how long her lover had spent caressing her skin while she slept; her body was on fire with very little encouragement, but then Helena was moving within her and she lost all ability to think coherently. A nearby pillow caught the enthusiastic moans that fell from her lips and she rocked in time to her fiancée’s thrusts before finding that peak of pleasure and falling over it.

Myka gasped for breath, tears gathering as she managed to roll over and bury her face in the hollow between Helena’s neck and shoulders. Her mouth moved over smooth skin for several seconds, tasting and teasing all at the same time. Her over-stimulated nerves protested any further attempt to move however and she soon slipped back into a light sleep, the corners of her mouth curled up and her ears catching the wisps of a whispering voice...

“Happy birthday, love.”

* * * * *

Helena pulled the car up beside one of the many other cars in the parking lot, killed the engine and leant over the divide to guide Myka’s mouth to hers. She smiled as her tongue flicked against her fiancée’s and the brunette groaned. Dark eyes watched teeth capturing a bottom lip and she very nearly let out a gasp. Scrambling to exit the vehicle, HG knew she needed to put as much distance between herself and her lover before she did something that got them both into a heap of trouble. “Alright then, everybody disembark!” she instructed energetically.

Christina unbuckled her seatbelt with lightning speed and jumped from the car. She opened the front passenger door and watched her Mama as she fumbled blindly with her own restraint. “I got it!” she reached over her mother’s lap and pushed the release. “Hold my hand, Mama.”

“You’re not going to let me walk through mud, are you?” Myka wondered as she held onto the car door until she was sure that she had her balance. As much as she trusted her daughter to lead her in the right direction, she knew that a child would not necessarily be aware of the hazards along the way. The moment she felt a hand under her elbow though, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“I won’t let you walk through mud,” HG whispered into her lover’s ear.

Myka focussed all of her energy on her remaining four senses; she felt the hands guiding her, the smell of barbecue and blossom, the taste of Helena’s lipstick lingering on her lips and a dozen voices in the not too far distance. “Where are you taking me?” she hissed from the corner of her mouth.

“Hush, darling,” the inventor chuckled under her breath. “You will spoil the surprise.”

“As if I haven’t known that you were up to something for the last month,” Myka grumbled half to herself. She felt the ground change from hard concrete to springy grass and inhaled the fresh scents. Feeling a sudden bought of nerves, she forced her body to a halt. “Swear to me that you didn’t try anything embarrassingly funny like, I don’t know, squid surprise and a candid camera?”

“Darling, I would not attempt to make light of your phobia. Be assured, this day with be as free as cephalopods as I can possibly be expected to predict,” Helena attempted to reassure her mate as she laboured pressure on the brunette’s lower back to start her moving again.

“Ok, I trust you,” Myka tried to sound confident.

She really did trust Helena but not being able to see what was happening around her created an underlying layer of caution over her actions. She breathed slowly in and out while trying to control her thoughts. Before long, her guide’s came to a stop and she was forced to wait while they deliberated over removing her blindfold. She was seconds away from stamping her foot when gentle fingers laced through her hair and began untying the knot at the back of the cloth obstructing her vision. Light invaded her eyes and she blinked for several seconds before several things caught her attention.

The first things she saw were her fiancée’s dark eyes gazing lovingly into her own and for several second all she wanted to do was bask in the light of those orbs. “Hello,” she greeted as her body automatically sank into Helena’s. “Are you here to wish me a happy birthday?” she teased.

HG let her lips fall over Myka’s and lingered there. All sound fell away for a moment. “I believe I did _that_ this morning,” the inventor whispered.

Myka shivered at the memory of her early morning wake up before turning to look around. She glanced over an open park and a dozen figures before she realised that most of them were people she knew. “What...?” Familiar smiles and waves greeted her as she stepped hesitantly closer to the gathering. “Oh my... Helena, did you call everyone I know?”

“Happy birthday, love,” HG whispered for the second time that day.

“You realise that you’re raising the bar rather high for birthday standards?”

“Somehow I doubt you will have to worry about tracking down my family and friends,” Helena tried to joke, unsuccessfully.

The brunette paused in her advance toward the assembled revellers and turned back towards her fiancée. “Helena, look around you. Most of your family and friends are right here.” She rubbed her hands over the inventor’s upper arms in a soothing motion. “We’ll find a way to include anyone who can’t be with us.”

Helena smiled and kissed her fellow agent soundly. “Thank you, darling. I appreciate the thought. Right at this moment though, we have a rather important event to celebrate.”

“Yes, Mama. Everybody’s waiting,” Christina reminded the brunette and resumed tugging on her arm.

Letting herself be pulled over to the waiting well-wishers, Myka’s smile was almost as big as her daughter’s. In the picnic area, where several tables were laden with food, drink and presents, her Warehouse family was the first to greet her, with energetic hugs all round and squeals of ‘how awesome is this?’ from Claudia.

Pete retreated to hover near the barbecue with Steve, Meghan, Abigail and Jason while Leena chatted serenely with Lila and made sure that there were enough provisions for all.

As Helena caught up with her, she did a swift headcount, including Artie and Vanessa and caught her lover’s hand in a tight grip. “Helena, who’s...?”

“Mrs Fredrick is on guard,” HG soothed the brunette’s worries, knowing instinctively where Myka’s thoughts would lead her. “Claudia is keeping an eye on her ‘app’ also.”

Appeased, Agent Bering returned to the celebrations, turning her attention to her blood relatives. She felt Helena slip away unobtrusively as she finished greeting her sister, brother-in-law and nephew, and met her parents.

“Hey, Dad!” She sank almost comfortably into her father’s arms, surprised to see him there. “I can’t believe you’re here. You said you and Mom were going to mind the shop this afternoon.”

“Well, Helena insisted that this was more important and I couldn’t agree with her more.” He glanced around at all of the people assembled. Large crowds didn’t exactly make him comfortable but there was something about the affable nature of those present that allowed him to cope well with the change.

“She was right,” Jeannie injected softly from her position to her husband’s right. “Happy birthday, Myka.” Mrs Bering held out a hand to invite her daughter closer and waited stiffly to see what she would do.

The brunette hesitated before she stepped forward and accepted the hug wordlessly. They had not crossed paths much during the week but when they had, her mother had been polite, occasionally bordering on affectionate. It was an odd situation to find herself in; receiving warmth from her father who had always kept himself at such a distance, and distance from her mother who had always been so warm. Progress was a good thing but the pace and Jeannie’s stubborn refusal to accept what was right in front of her continued to hurt Myka.

If they could put their differences aside for one day, it was an acceptable step in the right direction. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

Her aunt wished her well and congratulated her on her pregnancy but skirted around the taboo topic of her relationship. Her young cousin Ryan however more than made up for his mother’s reticence by gushing at Helena’s coolness and Christina’s brilliance. As a third year as a criminology student, he told Myka how her job as a secret service agent had motivated him to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Flattered and surprised, Myka introduced him to her Warehouse friends and advised him to talk to her fiancée about learning kenpo. He did as he was told until he became distracted by an argument between Pete and Claudia and soon got caught up in their games. The last Myka would see of him before the day’s end, he would be sitting opposite the enigmatic young red-head, completely enthralled by whatever pearls of wisdom she was bestowing upon him.

Pete had already announced the first burgers to come off the barbecue by the time Myka reached the last of her guests. Before they could make a run on food, she introduced Helena and Christina to her old colleagues at the secret service. Now ravenously hungry, in her own words, it took the eight-year-old all of five seconds to offer her greeting before she asked to be excused and ran off at the sound of the cowbell.

The inventor shook hands with the now lead agent and couldn’t help but notice the awkward way he shifted as he addressed them. From what Pete had told her of Myka’s ex-co-workers, the only one who didn’t get the nod of approval was now in jail. So what was making this man so nervous?

Myka had noticed the odd behaviour too and narrowed her eyes at her old friend. “Are you about to tell me something else about the whole Leo fiasco or do you just really need to go to the bathroom?” she joked to try to break the tension.

“No, we settled everything. Jim is behind bars and he’s staying there for a long while if I have anything to say about it,” he sighed. “You’re as sharp as ever Bering,” he conceded.

Myka felt Helena tense beside her and ran a soothing hand along her arm. “So what is it Zach?”

“Er, I don’t suppose you saw my plus-one yet, did you?” He glanced over her shoulder and nodded towards the drinks table where a blonde stood talking to Leena.

Agent Bering followed his gaze automatically and felt her jaw drop. “Alison?” she asked as she looked back and caught his mildly guilty expression. “You’re dating Alison?”

“Who’s Alison?” HG asked, now satisfied that there was no real cause for alarm.

“Sam’s ex-wife,” Myka explained. “I thought I spotted her earlier but I didn’t realise that she came with anyone.” Turning to her fiancée, she added, “I was surprised by some of the people you invited but when I saw her I began to question your sanity.”

“That one’s on me,” Zach admitted freely. “I wasn’t sure whether to or not, but she said the two of you came to an understanding last time you met and that she’s come to terms with how guilt free you are in regards to everything that happened way back when.”

“Yeah,” Myka said softly. Shaking off the memory, she turned again and this time caught the woman’s eye. Seeing the nervous expression on her face, the agent smiled and turned back to her old friend. “It’s fine. I’m glad actually. Sam cared about all of us; he’d have wanted to see us happy.” She pulled her fiancée closer, to demonstrate to all watching and to remind herself that she was the happiest she had ever been.

After talking briefly with Sam’s ex-wife and feeling a strange sense of satisfaction for being the more domestic of the two of them, Myka found herself dragged over to the desert table to blow out the candles on her cake.

“It’s a good job we’re doing this outside,” she commented as she realised that all thirty-three candles to mark her age had been evenly spaced over the surface of the icing.

Presents followed and as was polite, she made sure to examine each and every one of them with careful consideration and thanked the gift-giver with a heartfelt hug. It felt awkward being watched by so many people, but thankfully some of them began to drift after seeing their own presents opened and small pockets of conversations broke out around her until she was left with her Warehouse family close by and her blood relatives a short distance away. It was only then that she truly began to feel emotional over their efforts.

Artie and Vanessa gave her tickets for The Phantom of the Opera and promised to have Christina for the evening whenever she and Helena wanted to go. Abigail had created her own compilation of soothing classical tracks for sleep, hinting that she use them to relax with now and hopefully, Freddy would find them equally soothing in the future. Leena’s was a book of spa treatments, some which were again for her and Helena but most that allowed children so the whole family could indulge. Steve and Claudia had co-created a family montage, artfully designed in a timeline theme to cover any long stretch of wall and with space to grow.

Pete and Lila had also gone with the image theme and had vouchers for two professional photo shoots, one for now and another for after the baby was born. Pete had also made his own album just for him and Myka with a comic-book style cover and the story of their adventures together. She could see how much thought he’d put into it as she opened the cover and saw that he’d depicted them both as superheroes, brother and sister, the events very close to real life but easy to mistake for fiction by an outsider.

Already with tears in her eyes, Christina’s first complete story ‘An Arctic Adventure’, self illustrated and bound with string, had the agent crying with unbridled joy. Even as Helena passed her the final gift, they all agreed that the eight-year-old’s was by far the best.

Beneath heavy, textured paper, Myka found a slim black box. She felt her fiancée’s hand wind around her waist and leant instinctively into the inventor’s body.

“I didn’t make it myself I’m afraid,” HG pre-warned with something resembling shame. “Though I did design it and had it made to exacting specifications.”

Myka turned her head slightly to roll her eyes at her lover’s self-depreciation. “Anything you thought to get me is just over the top at this point,” she gestured to their surroundings. “But I love it anyway.”

Helena drifted closer so that she was almost flush against the American’s back. “Open it.”

Following the suggestion, Myka pulled back the hinged lid and chuckled at the familiar sight that met her eyes - her favourite candy. She felt a puff of air against the back of her neck and turned to kiss the inventor. “Made to your exacting specifications? I’ll be sure to ration them.”

“Look underneath them,” HG urged when it seemed like her lover would close the lid.

Hesitating, Myka peeled the plastic package away to reveal a shimmer of metal. She handed her Twizzlers to Helena and gasped at what remained. “Oh, Helena,” she whispered as she removed the necklace and placed the box to one side. “It’s beautiful.”

Though the inventor rarely wore her locket now, preferring not to carry with her a reminder of some of the worst years of her life, she still treasured the sentiment of keeping a loved one close to heart and wanted her fiancée to have her own keepsake.

The chain was thick like her own but each gold link formed a symbol for eternity. The locket itself was much lighter, its surface the shape of an ovoid clock with delicate filigree marking the general placement of numbers and hands.

On further inspection, Myka found that the catch opened smoothly, revealing a book-like inner with an extra ‘page’ in the centre. Enough space for each of them and their children. It snapped shut just as cleanly. She ran her fingers over the fine crafting and then turned it over to find what she had unconsciously expected – an inscription.

_To my One, from your One._

_To finding everlasting wonder,_

_Together._

_Always and Forever._

_Always and forever,_ she thought. _Our past and our future._ Wasting no more time, she looped the chain around her neck and pulled her fiancée into a kiss that was not nearly long enough and yet apparently acted as a signal for someone to wolf-whistle. _Probably Pete._ She buried her head close to the rhythmic beat of her lover’s pulse and breathed deeply. “Always and forever,” she whispered.

It was sometime later, after taking the opportunity to sit while scoffing two burgers and a large salad, that there were a couple of late arrivals to replace those who had had to leave early. Agent Bering greeted several old high-school acquaintances and discovered that they had heard about the party through the grapevine and decided to crash. As they had had at least one or two friendly conversations in the past, Myka was content to let them stay but she wandered back to her partner, the organiser, with a gathering frown on her forehead. It was the head of that grapevine who confused her.

“Helena, why is Kurt Smoller here?” Myka asked in an aside to her fiancée. Most of the people present made sense, even if she might not have thought of inviting them herself, but she didn’t see the logic in this one.

HG frowned, sensing hesitancy in her partner’s tone. “Pete said that you tutored him in high-school and that you kept in touch. Are you not friends, albeit from a distance?”

“Pete said?” Myka repeated, her eyes narrowing and searching for her friend. Finding him close by, she stuck out her neck and hissed at him, “Pete!”

The boy-wonder bounded over and threw an arm around her shoulder without noticing her expression. “’Sup birfday gurl?” he asked around the hotdog in his mouth.

“Kurt Smoller?” she asked simply, her fingers reaching to flick his ear.

Agent Lattimer flinched at the sharp pain but it was the sudden choking and laughing that made him double over for a minute while he tried to catch his breath.

“I take it I was mistaken?” Helena came to a realisation, her tone caught between annoyed and upset. She had gone to such lengths to make this event perfect.

Myka heard the underlying hurt in her lover’s voice and placed a reassuring hand on the raven-haired agent’s hip. “It’s not a problem, he’s a nice guy it’s just...”

“Mykes crushed on him all through high school,” Pete took over the explanation unrepentantly. He glanced over his friends’ shoulders to find the man in question gazing in confusion at them. He chuckled to himself and winked at Myka. “Getting a taste of his own medicine now. Like to think I had something to do with that. The Pete-man’s got skills,” he added proudly, his head and upper body doing a little dance.

“He said you burped in his mouth,” Myka told him as she tried not to grin at his antics. She glanced at her fiancée to find an expression of complete confusion there. “I tutored Kurt and had a huge crush on him. There was a reunion a couple of years ago and he was there. We chatted a bit, but it wasn’t until I had a body swapping episode with this one,” she poked Pete in the ribs, making him squeak. “That Kurt apparently decided that sport loving, tipsy, hot-wing-eating Myka was his kind of girl. Now Kurt kind of has a crush on Pete in my body, only he doesn’t know that that’s what happened.”

“Ah,” Helena responded succinctly, finally finding the humour in the situation. “In that case, the man clearly has good taste in looks and poor taste in personality.”

HG wrapped her fingers through Myka’s as she guided her over towards their mutual friends, trailing a frowning agent for several seconds before Pete caught the offence and cried, “Hey!”

“Keep up, Lattimer!” Myka called behind her, laughing at his indignant expression.

* * * * *

Happily exhausted, Myka sank into the couch back at the apartment and closed her eyes. She absorbed the quiet like a tonic and mentally thanked her sister for taking Christina out for the evening. As much as she adored her daughter’s enthusiasm, she was relieved to have some time to recover from her afternoon celebrations.

Helena joined her with a pillow and a blanket, encouraging her to lie down. Myka mumbled something about checking on the progress of the mass clean-up at the park but she was insistently shushed, a hand reaching to pluck her phone from her grasp.

“All is being taken care of. Your job is to relax and enjoy.” HG pulled her lover’s feet into her lap and removed two striped socks one by one. Against protest, she began to run her fingers around the curves of a foot, covering the other temporarily with the blanket so it wouldn’t get cold.

“I think I remember how this ends,” Myka teased as she accepted her fate and sank back into the pillow with a suppressed yawn.

The inventor smiled and continued her ministrations. She watched green eyes disappear behind heavy lids and knew that there would be no repeat of that incident today. “As wonderful as that sounds, I had no intention of taking you on the couch. Not today at least,” she added softly.

“I could take you on the couch,” Myka offered with her eyes still closed.

Chuckling, HG watched the play of emotions on her fiancée’s lips and ran the nail of her thumb intentionally over the brunette’s instep to make her jump slightly. “The only thing you’re going to be taking on this couch is a nap.”

Agent Bering’s eyes narrowed and she wriggled her foot from her partner’s hands. “I won’t if you do that again.”

“Cease and desist your ridiculous declarations of intent then,” the Brit countered as she recaptured the escaped appendage.

There was a brief battle of wills as fiery gazes met and each of them tried not to give in to the amusement that bubbled beneath the surface. Without conscious effort, eyes softened incrementally until they found themselves staring and smiling softly through an unmistakable aura of love.

With unspoken consent, Helena returned to her task and Myka watched contentedly until her eyes drifted shut once more. It didn’t take long before the brunette lost the battle to stay conscious and slipped into dreamland. Despite following her daughter’s edict to get a good night’s rest, the day had been long and eventful; sleep came easily to her exhausted body.

She woke to the feel of hands caressing her skin again, only this time, the waking came with the sound of voices drawing nearer and she quickly realised that it must be her sister dropping Christina off. Helena offered her an apologetic smile as she pulled herself out from beneath Myka’s legs and moved to open the door.

A soft ‘oof’ escaped the inventor as a tired but cheerful looking eight-year-old fell against her. “Hello, love,” HG greeted and leant down to kiss the girl before making room for her future sister-in-law to follow them inside.

Tracy wandered to the centre of the room and stood watching her niece climb half into her sister’s lap. “I think we wore them both out,” she observed as the pair rocked quietly in their embrace. “All your hard work paid off,” she added her congratulations, knowing that if it had been her planning the day, she’d have given up her grand ideas long ago.

“So it would seem. Christina?” she called gently as she noticed the lengthening time between her daughter’s blinks.

“Mummy?” the girl responded, her head barely lifting from her Mama’s shoulder.

“Come and thank Aunt Tracy before she leaves, and then we’ll get ready for bed so you can fall asleep in comfort.” She saw hesitancy on the girl’s face; the kind of reluctance born out of feeling too tired to move. Knowing that the grumpiness would only get worse the longer they left it, she narrowed her eyes and fixed the eight-year-old with a ‘now please’ stare. “It won’t take long and you’ll appreciate it when you’re done,” she reasoned.

Myka gave her daughter a prod, encouraging her to move. “You know she’s right,” she whispered.

Christina flopped from the couch and hugged her aunt. “Thank you for taking me to dinner,” she said sweetly as she looked up into soft, brown eyes.

“You’re very welcome young lady. It was a pleasure to have you with us.” Tracy kissed her niece’s cheek and released her to HG’s care. “We’ll have to do it again before you guys go back home,” she promised and watched a pleased smile disappear in the direction of the bathroom. She exchanged a farewell with the inventor before she was left alone with her sister.

“Thank you for helping out today.” Myka pushed herself from the couch and stretched, her hands reaching automatically for her lower back. “I can’t believe how many people came.”

“I was surprised at first,” the younger sibling admitted. “But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Kids in high school might not have seen it, but all those people today respect you, they like you and lots of them love you. You’ve become this confident woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t apologise for it.” She chuckled as she watched her sister’s face contort between disbelieving and bashful. “It’s true. People are attracted to that. You’re near the top of the social ladder now and you don’t even realise it. You probably don’t even care,” Tracy added ruefully. “Did you ever think you’d see the day when you were more popular than me?”

Myka rolled her eyes finally and shook her head. “You’re either crazy or a bad liar. I’m just lucky to have met a lot of good people.”

Tracy smiled but knew better than to try to argue. “I’m glad you had a good time today, Myka. I think even Mom is starting to see how good Helena is for you.”

“Definitely crazy,” the agent chuckled and drew her sister into a hug. “But we can hope.”

Both Christina and Helena returned from the bathroom wearing their pyjamas. Myka locked the door behind her sister and wandered into hers and HG’s bedroom to fetch her nightgown. Dressed comfortably with nowhere else to go, the three of them snuggled back on the couch, the inventor in the middle with a book in hand.

Myka couldn’t remember a birthday she had enjoyed more than this one. Even her seventh birthday party when other children had turned up and there had been cake, presents and games in the sun-streaked garden, it couldn’t compare to the bliss of this day. Every part of that feeling had to do with the two people sitting with her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more of Tracy being awesome and Jeannie being stubborn but showing promise. Any other thoughts you'd like to share, I'm happy to listen to.
> 
> Up next... Christina takes playing at being a shop assistant to another level.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Internet is up and running! I wasn't truly aware of how much time I spend reading online until I began to get withdrawal symptoms and then headaches from staring at my tiny phone screen. Anyway...
> 
> So, I feel like I want to put a disclaimer on this one - no matter how many times I read it, I love it and hate it. I've messed and messed with it but in the end left it almost as it was at the end of the first draft. Not sure if Christina's role in this chapter is OTT but I think it's cute anyway so decided to keep all of her in. Now, it's just up to you guys to let me know if you like it ;-)

The bell rang out above the shop door and the girl behind the counter twitched with nervous excitement. After helping her parents in the bookshop on and off for the past three weeks, she had convinced her grandpa Warren that she was ready to serve a customer by herself. Mama had explained that an adult needed to supervise if she was making a sale or if the customer needed to enquire after something obscure but had promised that they would give her the chance to do as much as possible on her own.

Wandering cautiously into the store, a middle-aged woman in a navy-blue overcoat glance twice at the child behind the counter and smiled. Quickly finding her bearings, she made her way along the shelves, missing the slight disappointment on the girl’s face.

Myka, who was ostensibly stacking shelves close by, nodded reassuringly. “Sometimes people like to browse. Give her ten minutes or so,” she added and crossed her fingers that her partner was able to put their plan into action.

Deeper in the stacks, HG sized up the stranger and decided that she would do for their purpose. Keeping her voice low, she approached and made her presence known. “Excuse me? If you’re not in too much of a hurry, could I trouble you for a favour?”

Wary grey eyes looked the well-spoken foreigner up and down. “What sort of favour?”

“The eager young lady behind the counter is my daughter. Do you possibly have the title of a book that she could help you find or an author perhaps?” Seeing the hesitancy rising in the woman’s eyes, HG added, “If not, I have a list of a few and I will happily pay for your purchase. It would absolutely make her day.”

Finally seeing where the English woman’s motivation was coming from, the customer nodded and smiled at the idea of the thoughtful plot. “I did come in looking for something to pass the time with and also for some basic books on grammar for my son. Is that too much?”

“Not at all. My fiancée and I are close by if she needs help,” Helena explained, feeling confident in her daughter’s abilities but nervous at the same time.

HG waited anxiously, listening to the customer’s query and her daughter’s enthusiastic response. She heard their footsteps approaching and busied herself in a corner with a clipboard. Christina was asking questions from their prepared list; do you prefer fiction or non-fiction, which genres or topics do you enjoy, are you looking for a light read or something more taxing? The list went on.

After narrowing down the choices to crime-fiction and steering the woman toward two popular writers on her list, Lee Child or possibly Patricia Cornwell, pointing out that both authors boasted long series of novels if she enjoyed the first one, she guided her customer to the primary education section.

“DK Publishing’s ‘Language Arts’ is a good tool for parents; there’s lots of information and it’s organised well. Scholastic have many activity books. Junior Madlibs are lots of fun.  Mark Forsythe is very good too but he’s in the adult section; Mummy and Mama always have to read him with me because the words are tricky.” Christina pointed out her first suggestion, which was geared more towards the educators than educatees and then picked a handful from the child-friendly section. “Coloured pages are more expensive but they stimulate more areas of the brain and they’re more attractive to us kids.

“Stickers are great for motivation but Mama says they’re cheaper from the mall. She always says that we’re better off buying a quality book and cheaper stickers.” She dutifully opened the pages of the books and explained the features. “They all have their good points but my absolute favourite is this one.” She replaced her earlier selection and held out the remainder. “The girl’s like spaghetti! It’s funny see? Because they’ve deliberately misused the apostrophe and now the girl _looks_ like spaghetti. It doesn’t cover many areas of grammar but I love it.”

Silence followed and the inventor couldn’t help peering over her shoulder curiously as she expected Christina’s audience to respond. She had to smile at the expression of incredulity on the stranger’s face. The pause was long enough for her to hear her daughter ask anxiously if her explanation had been ok, which prompted a halting response.

“Erm... yes. Yes of course, you’ve been very helpful. I’ll just have a think about it,” the woman told the girl as she thanked her. Once Christina was out of ear-shot, she turned to the child’s mother. “Does she know the entire contents of the store?” she asked, thinking that perhaps she had stumbled upon a case of child-labour.

“Goodness, no. Though that’s not for a lack of trying on her part.” Helena smiled, understanding the unique experience of meeting her daughter. “She wanted to play shop, but insisted that she do it the right way. Feel free to take your time browsing,” she insisted and decided that it was time to leave the woman alone.

As she walked back to the front of the shop and passed the cash register, she spotted her daughter in conversation with Myka.

“Mummy?” Christina greeted in a hushed voice. “Did you hear me? Did I do well?”

“Yes, my darling, to both questions. I especially liked the personal touch with your recommendations.” She placed a kiss on the eight-year-old’s head and moved to stand with her fiancée.

As if on cue, a small but unmistakable chuckle reached their ears from further within the shop. Christina grinned smugly. “I think she must be reading ‘The girl’s like spaghetti.”

“Well, back to the grind,” HG joked, leaving her daughter to continue hovering around the desk.

Waiting, for an excited eight-year-old, was a difficult task. More customers entered and disappeared behind shelves, reappearing after a few minutes with their own selections, which Myka helped her daughter to ring up.

“Myka,” the third customer, an older gentleman, greeted with a smile as he reached the counter with his book. “I haven’t seen you in your Dad’s shop for ages, girl! How have you been?”

Agent Bering flushed slightly as she often did when meeting people she had known as a child, a reflex from the days when she had shied away from social interaction. “I’m good thank you, Mr Evans. We’re just helping my Dad out for a few weeks; he hurt his arm recently and the doctors told him he had to rest.”

“Ha, I’ll bet he loved that,” he murmured while pulling bills from his wallet. “And who’s this then?” He smiled at the girl behind the till and then paused to look between the two females. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this one has your smile but I know it hasn’t been _that_ long.”

Myka ran a hand through her daughter’s hair. “A happy coincidence? My adopted daughter,” she explained reluctantly. “As long as you love them, does it matter who gave birth to them?”

With exceptional timing, the sound of the inventor’s heeled boots echoed across the hardwood floor and her carrying diction followed. “Darling? Do you think we could persuade your father to... Oh! I do beg your pardon; I didn’t realise you were with a customer,” she directed at her partner.

“Mummy, this is my second sale,” Christina announced triumphantly.

“I’m hardly surprised, love. Your charms serve you well enough at home, why not here?” She tried to appear exasperated but her proud smile ruined the effect.

“Mr Evans,” Myka took a mental breath as she prepared for the worst. “This is my fiancée, Helena, and our Christina.”

Forgetting in all the excitement that this news was not always met by smiles and acceptance, and taking her cue from the brunette’s announcement, the eight-year-old tugged at Myka’s sleeve. “Mama, you forgot Freddy.”

Flushing again, Agent Bering placed her hand over her bump, which was hidden by the counter. “And we’re expecting.”

There was an anxious pause where HG readied herself to defend her family and Myka’s expression froze. Mr Evans seemed trapped in his thoughts too until his mouth gradually formed into a grin and he slapped a hand lightly on the counter, making all three females jump.

“Well I’d never have guessed it. Your mother crowed about that young man you were seeing a few years ago. I’ll bet he wasn’t nearly as lovely as this one though,” he winked, continuing to bring heat to Myka’s face even as Helena smirked.

Christina watched the exchange closely and caught the customer’s second wink in her direction as her parents gazed at each other a fraction too long. “They do that a lot,” she commented in an aside.

“Make the most of it,” he advised and then a bit louder added, “Love suits them.”

Myka and Helena both thanked him for his well wishes and custom before saying goodbye and greeting the next customer. Having almost given up on the lady Christina spoke to, the two agents had not long abandoned the cash desk with words of consolation for their daughter when the woman appeared, her arms weighed down by at least half a dozen books.

Ms Navy-overcoat dropped her burden as softly as she could on the counter and breathed a sigh. “Well, I have to say, I did not expect to find so much in one store but your recommendations were spot on young lady.” She smiled as she eyed her purchase with satisfaction. As Myka reappeared to help with the payment, grey eyes fixed on her. “A comfy chair would have been nice though.”

Agent Bering laughed and tilted her head toward the back of the shop, knowing her lover wasn’t far away. “Did you hear that, hun? Comfy chairs!”

“I told him!” came the smart reply. “I’ll not relent until your father sees sense, darling.”

Still chuckling to herself, Myka assisted Christina with ringing up the items and bid the woman farewell. “Well done, Sweetheart,” she murmured into wavy hair as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. Releasing her, she pushed a lock of dark hair from bright eyes and gazed at the girl with pride bursting through her expression. “Now, time for a break and something to eat. I think perhaps you’ve worked hard enough to skip your studies this afternoon. What do you think?”

Grinning, the eight-year-old nodded keenly. “May I choose a book to take home?”

The brunette hesitated. She adored the face that her daughter shared her love of the written word but she worried that Christina would push herself too far. It was up to her and Helena to make sure their little girl had the opportunity to enjoy being a child for as long as possible. “Why don’t you play for a while and we’ll pick out a new book before we leave?”

Christina appeared to think about this for several seconds before nodding her approval. “Will you play with me?”

Myka nodded slowly. “Let’s go and see if Mummy will mind the register while we’re occupied.”

* * * * *

At an undisclosed location, sat around a conference table, several bodies listened closely to the speaker - not one of them daring to intervene until he had finished. Slow, measured footsteps echoed around the room, each tap causing a collective wince from those assembled.

A soft, educated voice spoke in a cold monotone. “Concerns have been raised over the pace of our quest and I will remind each and every one of you that you were all well informed of the longevity of our mission and that you entered into the contract to fulfil our duty, not for glory or personal gain.

“You swore to give your lives to the cause regardless of whether or not you saw the end results.” His boyish features did nothing to instil peace in his audience and as he finished pacing to take his seat, the room tensed. “Perhaps those of you who were born to the responsibility, question its validity. For any of you who continue to doubt our dedication though,” he gestured with his right arm and a young lad stepped forward with a large wooden box. “Examples can be made.”

He motioned for the boy to open the lid and multiple gasps filled the air. Two unseeing eyes stared endlessly from the severed head inside.

* * * * *

“Warren Bering, you put that box down right now!” Jeannie yelled at her husband as she watched him heading to descend the stairs.

Warren grumbled and reluctantly placed the books he was holding on a nearby surface. He cautiously waved his arm around, the movement noticeably easier than it had been a couple of weeks ago, but still a little stiff. “Jeannie, I can manage one box. I’ve rested, like you all told me to. Myka will be gone next week and it’s time I started doing things for myself again.” It was the end of his fourth week of recovery and their helpers were due to leave in three days time.

At the sound of her daughter’s name, the aging blonde flinched involuntarily. She saw the patient understanding on her husband’s face and sighed. “She’s... _they’ve_ been a big help,” she admitted.

Mr Bering nodded. He glanced at his box of books and decided that it was too much trouble to argue about moving them now. He’d just have to wait until the morning when his wife was doing whatever it was that she did in the bathroom for half an hour. Instead, he tucked his hand into the crook of her arm and led her into the kitchen where he flicked the switch on the kettle.

“It’s different seeing them together like this, isn’t it? You have to admit, they look happy.” Warren placed tea bags in mugs and poured over the hot water, not bothering with any of that teapot nonsense.

“How happy will they be when they’re burning in hell?” Jeannie muttered as she accepted her mug and reached for the milk jug.

Mr Bering shook his head, sat next to his wife and reached for her hand. “I don’t think you really believe that. Jeannie, I know this whole ordeal has been a shock and that you don’t agree with what they’re doing, but I think the only choice we have now is between having family and not having family.” He sighed and sipped his tea. “Helena is an intelligent and caring person who makes Myka laugh and smile more than I’ve ever seen her do. Christina is everything we could ask for in a granddaughter and Myka loves her as much as we love our girls. They’re going to have a baby and they’re going to get married, and as strange as it seems to me, I want to be a part of that. I understand how you feel and I want to support you, but I’m not going to lose our little girl, Jeannie. Not over this.”

He squeezed her hand again and stood up. After a brief pause, he picked up his mug and wandered off to the living room to give his wife some much needed space to think on what he’d said.

* * * * *

In the heart of South Dakota, in the nerve centre of Warehouse 13, Agent Pete Lattimer swivelled round on his chair for the hundredth time and sighed loudly. They really needed a TV in there, or Timothy Leary’s glasses.

“Go and occupy yourself somewhere,” Artie grumbled as he often did when other people were near him.

“I’m bored,” Pete complained, pausing for a moment before swinging his chair around again.

“Go! Do inventory. Make yourself useful,” the director barked.

Agent Lattimer unfolded from his chair but did nothing more than wander around the room, touching things. “Nothing’s right without Myka here. We need an even number of agents so I don’t have to wait around for the easy pings.”

“It was your choice not to partner up with Agent Coombs. You didn’t have to let Claudia go in your place,” Artie muttered, his teeth clenched slightly as he realised that he wasn’t going to get rid of his companion so easily.

“Claude’s better prepared to deal with Jr Lady Cuckoo.” He pouted. “Didn’t think I’d ever feel nostalgic for HG’s Nutty Professor schtick.”

Artie nodded to himself. “She is an odd choice. But her ability to see the strength of artefacts has come in handy,” he conceded.

“Sure, she’s X-Men’s Callisto of the Warehouse.” Pete murmured. “Let’s just hope she stays on our side. Our psycho-agent track record isn’t great.”

“Agent Wicks more than makes up for her instability. He’s already half way through the manual,” he added sternly, his hard stare fixed on Pete.

“A male Myka isn’t going to replace her,” the younger agent sulked.

In a moment of less irritation, Artie softened his tone. “Myka is irreplaceable, Pete, but you have to get used to working without her. Even if she does choose to be an active agent again, I think you’ll find her involvement won’t ever be what it was.” He looked Pete up and down, taking in the slump in his shoulders. “It wouldn’t entirely surprise me if your active duty slowed down too. We do have enough agents at the bed and breakfast now to allow you, Myka and I suppose, HG, to work from a distance. Your mother took a break when you and your sister were born.”

Agent Lattimer slowly smiled. “Yeah, she did, didn’t she? We all figured this place would suck the life out of us but it’s more like it’s brought us together and we’ve breathed life into each other. We’re a family, complete with grumpy dad-slash-uncle-slash-grandpa,” he teased, now grinning as he slapped a hand on the director’s shoulder.

“You won’t think it so funny when I do put you over my knee!” Agent Nielson exploded. “Inventory, now!”

“Careful, Artie. That vein is pulsing again,” he backed towards the door as he took his renewed playful mood out on his boss. “Do you want me to call the Doc to come and tap on your chakras?”

“I swear, I will bronze you for the remainder of the day if you don’t disappear in the next three seconds!”

“Yipe! I’m gone,” Pete promised and skittered off in to the Warehouse.

“And don’t touch ANYTHING!” an irate yell followed the lovable pest.

Pete jumped the last three steps and thrust his hands into his pockets. His little chat with Artie had helped to clear out some of the cobwebs from his thoughts, but it didn’t stop him missing his best friend. He thought about Myka, HG and Christina. He pictured them from the park at Myka’s birthday party and grinned to himself.  It had been an awesome day and he was so buzzed after seeing the majority of his family having fun that he’d spent the rest of the evening gazing at his girlfriend with a gooey expression.

He was no longer sore about her refusal to marry him. In fact, he was more ashamed than hurt now and in debt to HG for talking him straight. He had an amazing thing going with Lila, it made no difference whether they wore rings or not.

More often than not these days, he found himself walking down the baby-aisle, fascinated by the things that made kids super-smart, incredibly talented or virtually indestructible. It was tempting but he knew better than to mess with something as fragile as his kid’s life. As terrified as he was with the idea of being a father, he was ten times more excited. He was going to be kick-ass dad, just like his own.

After an hour of inventory, Pete decided that he’d earned a break and made his way to his ‘man-cave’. His hand barely touched the fridge door when he felt a familiar feeling rise from his gut.

“Uh-oh.” Before he could move, the phone in his pocket and the klaxon sound of his Farnsworth simultaneously screamed for attention. He checked the caller ID on his cell’s screen as he popped the Warehouse-issue communicator on a table and flipped it open.

“Hold on a sec, Artie,” he said before Agent Nielson could open his mouth. He put his phone to his ear. “Hey, Mykes. What’s shakin’?” he asked carefully, not wanting to alarm her if she was just calling to chat.

“Pete? We have a situation.” Myka’s voice came through the receiver. “If you’re not doing anything, I think I could use your help.”

“Whoa, Myka; what’s wrong?”

Through the Farnsworth, the director heard most of the younger agent’s words and threw his two cents in. “Pete! Is that Myka? We have a ping in Colorado Springs, is she ok?”

“What?!” His attention flicking between the two conversations, Pete took a second to connect them. “Wait. Myka, Artie says he has a ping in the Springs. What’s going on over there?”

Agent Bering’s mouth moved a mile a minute as her words came tumbling out, “Helena went out to the store for ice-cream ‘cause I was craving something sweet and she was fine when she got back but then she complained about feeling tingling on her skin and I suggested a bath. She went to run the water and she was taking forever. I thought... I don’t know what I thought, but when I went to check on her, she was... flickering.” She sighed.

Agent Lattimer listened attentively, his vibes absorbing the emotion behind his friend’s rambling explanation as he ran through the Warehouse on his way back to the office.

Myka’s volume lowered to a barely there register. “Her skin is changing. She’s becoming invisible, Pete.”

He absorbed this and felt his legs slow down. “Wait, are you telling me that HG Wells is becoming the invisible woman?” he huffed in amusement, forgetting for a second why he’d been in a hurry.

“Yes, and I get that it’s somewhat amusing, but I don’t want my fiancée, the mother of my children, to disappear,” Agent Bering hissed in her friend’s ear, hoping that he would remember that their job often came with a downside. “She doesn’t seem to be in pain but I don’t want this to be permanent and we might need an extra set of feet on the ground being as Helena can hardly carry out an investigation at the moment and I’m not exactly in any fit state to be chasing bad guys.”

“Right.” Hearing the worry in her tone, Pete started moving again, running faster this time. His words distorting through the phone-line as he tried to reassure her. “Hold on, Mykes. I’m passing you over to Artie now, and then I’m on my way.”

* * * * *

After watching her husband leave the kitchen, with his words still ringing in her ears, Jeannie Bering continued to sit at the dining table as she mulled over the past few weeks.

Every morning that they’d expected Myka, she had felt a knot in her stomach, wondering whether the rest of her daughter’s ‘family’ would be tagging along. A war waged inside of her, between the mother and the concerned citizen who felt she was doing her duty. A month ago, duty kept her in the disapproving category, with every intention of remaining firmly, if politely, in that place. Now?

It was so much harder to stay superior and unaffected when faced with the reality of her daughter’s new life. Despite the discomfort of seeing the emotional intimacy between Helena and Myka, there was a growing feeling of warmth that swam in and out of her thoughts whenever she witnessed that glowing smile on her firstborn’s face. Add that to the pride she felt when she saw Myka with Christina... Suddenly _duty_ didn’t hold the same importance.

Still, it wasn’t easy to just let go of years of belief.

The shrill ringing of the telephone pulled Jeannie Bearing from her inner thoughts and back to her surroundings. Reaching out automatically, she picked up the receiver and greeted the caller.

“Mom? Erm... I need your help.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeannie to the rescue?
> 
> Up next... The Invisible Woman, more pieces of the puzzle and Christina gently gives Jeannie a piece of her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for any responses from the last chapter. I'm glad Christina's adventures in the book store were to your liking.
> 
> I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants with this story at the moment, so any thoughts and suggestions are welcome. Plot still very much working in the background so I can focus on the family, but I'm sure this chapter is going to throw up a few questions...

Myka’s controlled concern came through, reaching immediately into Jeannie Bering’s deepest maternal instincts.

“Mom, please? Something’s wrong with Helena and I need someone I trust to keep an eye on Christina.”

Jeannie barely caught the whispered plea, but she understood and instinct kicked in; there was no way she could ignore it. “It’ll let your father know and then I’ll be on my way,” she promised.

It didn’t take long for the anxious woman to make it across town to where Myka and her family were staying. Warren had suggested more than once in the past month that they should visit but she couldn’t bring herself to agree. It was hard enough seeing the looks that passed between the pair in the shop and the display they’d put on at Myka’s birthday gathering, but in private, they would have less reason to control their affection and she wasn’t sure she was prepared to deal with that level of intimacy.

Not knowing what to expect, she jogged up to the front door and knocked cautiously. “Myka!?” she called so they would know it was her. Her ears caught the sound of voices and light footsteps before the barrier swung inward and Christina’s closed features met her own. They stared at one another for several seconds before she decided to take the initiative and wandered in. “Myka?”

“In here!” the ex-Secret Service agent’s voice called out from the bedroom.

Jeannie heard voices coming from that direction and instantly felt a reluctance to move forward, she expected to hear a higher level of panic in her daughter’s tone but it was almost even and so was the one that answered it. Hoping that her imagination was simply running wild, she pushed the partially open bedroom door and stepped tentatively inside.

At first she didn’t realise the problem but when she took a longer look at the Brit, she quickly saw what was wrong. She stared and blinked, her mouth hanging open. She could see _through_ Myka’s fiancée.

HG was pacing past the window, where the curtains were drawn against prying eyes and Jeannie could quite clearly see the abstract pattern of the curtain fabric through every part of her body. Two pairs of eyes turned to look at her as a small figure brushed passed and scrambled up onto the bed.

“What? How...?” Jeannie began before trailing off.

“Precisely what we are trying to establish,” Helena sighed as she rubbed a spot along her brow.

Myka pushed her fingers into her hair. “Mom, you remember what happened with Dad and Poe’s notebook?” She saw her mother’s frown deepen in thought, followed by a slow nod. “This is one of _those_ situations.” She glanced at her daughter who was sitting on the bed looking sulky. “We need to go out and re-trace Helena’s steps. See if we can find what she’s been in contact with. Will you stay here with Christina, please?”

Mrs Bering looked between her daughter and the eight-year-old. She smiled softly, seeing a stubbornness in those adorable features that reminded of her own girls at that age. “Of course. I’m sure we can find something to do.”

Myka nodded and tried not to take offense at the hard stare from the bed. Turning to her fiancée she looked Helena up and down, thinking aloud, “We need to find something to cover you from head to toe.” A smile almost crept upon her lips. How many of her own characters was HG going to bring to life?

After listening to her daughter and the Brit’s voices bickering affectionately over the best way to disguise Helena’s condition, Jeannie watched as Myka sat on a dining chair to pull a pouting child closer.

“Sweetie, I know how much you want to help right now and I know you’re frustrated because we’re making you stay here.” The agent wrapped an arm around narrow shoulders as a head fell against her chest. “I know you’ll worry while we’re not here, but it’s our job to make sure you’re safe.”

Helena wandered over from the bedroom doorway, her entire body covered including gloves, scarf, hat and what felt like an inch-thick of foundation. Her eyes were barely visible through the make-up and she held a pair of sunglasses in her hand. She knelt next to her lover’s chair and tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “We’ll call if we’re going to be late but I imagine that we’ll be back before you know it. Uncle Pete should be here before long too.”

The agents disappeared and Jeannie shared a look with her eldest that promised she would take good care of the unhappy girl. It was hard work finding something to distract Christina with though. No book, game or television programme was good enough. Eventually, she spotted a jigsaw on a shelf and began setting it up on the dining table. With a sly half-smile, knowing that the child was watching her, she started randomly searching through the small pieces for two that would fit together. In no time at all, the eight-year-old joined her and began to take over.

“You must start with the edges,” Christina dictated. “Look for the straight pieces first and put them in a pile.”

Jeannie nodded and put her non-edge pieces back in the box and began an attempt to make conversation. “That’s a very sensible idea. Did Myka tell you that?”

Christina shifted up onto her knees so she had a better vantage point to see everything on the table. She seemed unaware that she was allowing herself to be distracted. “Mm-hm,” she nodded. “Mama says it’s more fun when you work... symptomatically.”

Mrs Bering chuckled lightly. “Systematically?”

“What did I say?” the girl wondered aloud.

“Symptomatically,” Jeannie repeated helpfully.

“Oh. Yes, you’re right. Work with a system so you can keep track of what you’re doing and not become frustrated.” Having paused to consider the word she wanted to use, Christina returned to her task, carefully moving her discarded pieces to one side, missing the growing fondness across the table.

There came a peaceful period where nothing but the sound of clattering jigsaw pieces and the occasional hum of victory when another piece was found. Out of the corner of her eye, the older woman watched the eight-year-old closely.

Was it her imagination; some odd side effect of her burgeoning acceptance of her daughter’s lifestyle, or did this child really have as many small nuances of Myka’s appearance as she was seeing?

It began with her noticing an occasional expression, a slight confusion that pulled the child’s brow together in a certain way. But the longer Jeannie studied the girl, the more those subtle features stood out. Ignoring the obvious influence of the Brit in Christina’s appearance, she began to see more and more of her eldest girl sitting before her. How was that possible?

They had the corner pieces and a few more to make up part of the frame before Christina decided to put some of her inner monologue into words. “Why do you not like us?”

Jeannie froze momentarily. The child’s words were said with such innocence that a pang of guilt pulled at her insides and she found herself at a loss for words. As several seconds passed, she took a breath and decided that she couldn’t avoid the subject.

“I don’t _dislike_ any of you,” she defended. It was the truth now. After spending more time around Helena Wells she no longer assumed that the Brit was an evil entity set on destroying her daughter and dragging Myka into a den of depravity, but it wasn’t so long ago that the words would have tasted a lie. She didn’t know where to begin to explain her reasoning to a child; every excuse that sprang to mind seemed ridiculous and she was reluctant to hear the words spoken aloud.

Apparently deciding that the woman’s pause was dragging on too long, Christina fiddled with two jigsaw pieces and opened her thoughts to the room again. “Mama says you don’t understand why she loves Mummy and it makes you uncomfortable.” She pushed bits of the puzzle around absentmindedly as she repeated snippets of conversations she’d had with (or overheard from) her parents. “Mummy says that fear makes some people angry and bloody minded.”

“Your mother said that to you?” Jeannie interrupted, sounding slightly outraged.

Christina glanced up contritely. “She didn’t know I was listening that time. I think it means that people are stubborn.” Her expression changed, becoming introspective as she considered the thought. “Is that from fight or flight do you think? Abigail helped me when I was afraid of Mummy or Mama being hurt and I got into trouble for being stubborn and not making good choices. I have time out sometimes. Mostly when I don’t understand what’s happening or when I’m afraid,” she explained, sounding proud of her deductions, though many of her words were parroted from her friend and counsellor.

Jeannie swallowed her shame. How did one small girl have such power to make her insides squirm? “I don’t dislike any of you,” she repeated, making time. “Myka’s right though; I don’t understand how she can love another woman the way that she should love a man.” Then, from the tip of her tongue, came one thought that had played on repeat in her mind since first finding out about Helena, “Don’t you think it would be better to have a mother and a father?”

“Why?” the eight-year-old immediately wondered. “If Mummy married a man, I wouldn’t have my Mama any longer,” she reasoned. “That would not be better.”

Jeannie had no answer to that. From the child’s perspective, her family already included everyone she needed. What could she say that would sound reasonable compared to having the two parents Christina loved? Could that in fact be better than Myka having a husband at this point? She would never have wanted Myka to choose this path but perhaps it was time to accept that the path had already been chosen and that there was no turning back. Perhaps the question now was, could she put aside her opinions for the sake of family? Could she live with her daughter’s choices and simply be content with the fact that she was happy and apparently well loved?

* * * * *

Putting the car into drive and pulling out of the apartment parking lot, Myka glanced in the rear view mirror at their temporary home and frowned. “Do you think she’ll be ok?”

“Not to worry, darling. I’m certain Christina will not be overly harsh with her,” Helena answered, the teasing evident in her tone.

“Ha, ha,” Agent Bering responded as she rolled her eyes. She shook her head even as a smile crept along her lips.

The inventor placed her gloved hand on Myka’s knee and gave it a small squeeze. “She will be fine. If anything, I think affording your mother the opportunity to see the world from our daughter’s perspective can only be a good thing.”

Myka nodded slowly. “You’re probably right. I think she might be mellowing a bit. A little emotional shove might be just what she needs.” Thinking back to their daughter, she frowned again. “Christina is going to insist on being more involved in these incidents eventually. What do we do?”

HG sat in silent contemplation for several long seconds before she answered. “If we cannot prevent who she is going to become then our only recourse is to train her to the best of our ability.”

Myka heard the resignation in her lover’s tone and reached across to return the comforting knee-squeeze. “Into a Matrix style ninja apparently.”

Recalling that long movie-night at the bed and breakfast, and her time in Hollywood, Helena rolled her eyes. “I do wish Pete would stop trying to ‘educate’ me in the ways of modern culture. Our opinions on what constitutes a classic differ rather radically.” She shook her head and then gasped as she spotted something out of the window. “Darling, pull over after the next right turn.”

“Is this where you went?” Myka asked, frowning as she looked around and couldn’t see any stores close by.

“No, the convenience store is another block along,” HG waited until the car rolled to a stop, unbuckled her belt and stepped from the car. She heard the clunk of the car lock and knew that Myka was following. “Myka, do you see these markings?”

In front of them was the back of a wide building with evidence of fresh and old graffiti. Patches of paint concealed where someone had attempted recent cover-ups. The blood-red scribblings the agents stared at were the most recent additions.

The brunette tilted her head to examine the graffiti. “I think I know this. I’ve seen it before.” She turned to her fiancée with an expression of shock as she pulled the memory from storage. “Helena, these... symbols were in your grandmother’s study. I remember a bunch of papers lying on her desk with markings like these!”

“I thought as much,” the inventor’s body language betrayed some of her disbelief while her hood, hat, sunglasses and makeup hid her face too much to give anything else away. “I had a feeling that you would be able to confirm it.” A hand reached towards her head automatically but stopped when she realised that she couldn’t run her fingers through her hair at the moment. “What are they doing here?”

Myka took a step back to study the area a little better and quickly froze. “Oh my God.” Her hand rose to cover her mouth and she stared at the street for a long moment before a gloved hand landed on her lower back, drawing her attention.

“Love?”

“Helena, this is my pre-school!” She pointed at the building, her finger jabbing the air repeatedly as a sliver of fear crawled along her spine. “I... I didn’t take much notice of it when we pulled up here, I mean, I haven’t been to this building since I was about six and my parents were dropping Tracy off before taking me to school. How can this be connected with you and Norrie!?”

Seeing her lover’s growing panic, Helena wrapped her arms around tense shoulders and pulled Myka close. “Darling, whatever the connection, we will solve it. We just need to look at everything objectively.” Looking into wide, green eyes, the inventor tried not to let her own trepidation show. “Myka, we knew that we would find traces of something that connects our past and future. If this was intended for us, now? Then it’s likely that whoever is out there is attempting to intimidate us. It is up to us to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Ok. Ok,” Agent Bering slowed her breathing as she absorbed Helena’s words and tried to calm down. She took her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the writing on the wall. “I think we should get back to the apartment and wait there for Pete though.” There was fear in her eyes still as she turned swiftly back to the car, Helena nodding frantically and hot on her heels.

“I’m going to call your mother and check in,” HG explained, her feet carrying her past Myka. Another clunk signalled the doors opening remotely so that she was in the passenger seat and buckled up by the time the call connected.

“Hello?” Mrs Bering answered politely from the apartment phone.

Helena injected a semblance of calm into her tone as Myka swung the car around and started back toward the resort. “Jeannie, Myka and I have hit a slight snag in our investigation. We’re returning now and I just wanted to check that everything was going well at your end?”

Agent Bering half listened to her fiancée as she accelerated through an amber light. It was stupid to be upset over a little coincidence, right? But as there had been so many of them popping up of late, her anxieties were kicking into overdrive. As she heard her mother’s calm tone and after a minute, Christina’s somewhat brightened voice, she eased her foot off the gas slightly and forced herself to take slower breaths.

“Yes, my love, I’m sure we will have some time to help you with your jigsaw while we wait for Uncle Pete to arrive, though we will have to work too; we haven’t quite figured out all the angles of this ‘invisibility’ situation yet.” Helena chuckled at her daughter’s reply and smiled at her partner, the gesture going some way to calming both of their fears. “There is also the possibility of you aiding our investigation, yes. Christina, would you please put your grandmother back on the phone?”

“Yes?” Jeannie’s curious voice came through the receiver.

“Jeannie, you haven’t had any visitors pop by since our departure, have you?” HG asked as casually as she could manage.

“No. No one has been by. Were you expecting anyone?”

“Not at all. Pete will be a few hours I should imagine. There would be no need for you to answer the door until we’re back.”

Mrs Bering heard the underlying caution in the Brit’s words and decided not to make any further enquiries over the phone. “If you say so. I expect my daughter will explain everything when you arrive though?”

“Certainly. We will attempt to explain as much as we are able.”

“That’s not the same as _everything_ ,” the older woman pointed out coolly.

Helena shot a look at her fiancée, her eyebrow raised. “Your mother would like full disclosure,” she explained. Seeing Myka roll her eyes and sigh, she tried again to segue. “Further negotiations will have to wait I’m afraid. That’s not a decision to be taken lightly.” She heard the exasperation in her future mother-in-law’s tone and chose to ignore it. “How has Christina been? She can be rather... abrasive when she has a bee in her bonnet.”

“I raised two girls; I’m more than capable of handling the odd tantrum. She’s been fine though.” Feeling the awkwardness of her forced responses, Jeannie asked whether the inventor wanted to speak to the child again and handed over the phone.

HG kept her daughter on the line until the apartments were in sight and she was able to breathe a little easier. Myka’s tenseness drained visibly from her body. They pulled into their designated parking space and shared a quiet moment before getting out.

Christina greeted them at the door, hugging and chatting while both agents tried not to appear alarmingly effusive with their returned embraces. They didn’t want to worry the girl prematurely. Especially since they were not entirely sure whether there was anything to be upset about. Yet.

Helena retreated to the bathroom after several minutes of complaining of the heat and returned without her disguise so that she was nothing more than a wisp as she passed Mrs Bering in the kitchenette and found a space at the table. All the curtains were drawn and Myka reached out to grasp her barely-there hand in comfort.

“Mummy, you’d be excellent at hide and seek now,” Christina observed from her seat opposite. “Do you want to play?”

“I’m afraid there’s not a lot of space in here, my love. And I don’t think it would be advisable for me to venture outside like this, do you?” Helena chuckled. “Can you imagine the chaos that might ensue?”

Christina giggled as she took the time to picture the scene. “You could pick things up and I could pretend to be a witch who’s making them levitate.”

Myka found a small ladder of ribs with her fingers and elicited a burst of startled laughter from her daughter. “That’s a bit too devious for a Thursday afternoon, don’t you think?”

An atmosphere of composed anticipation settled on the apartment, the three at the table continuing with the puzzle while Jeannie, who refused to leave without further explanation, sat on the sofa with a cup of tea and pretended to read.

Pete arrived early evening and set off with Helena, who chose comfort over her disguise as she had become completely transparent. It unnerved her temporary partner slightly as they drove the short distance back into the city centre and continued the investigation, but HG assured him that she would keep a low profile.

Myka continued to sit at the dining table where her laptop and research had taken the place of the jigsaw. Christina insisted on helping and currently sat on the floor, categorising her mother’s notes. It wasn’t a necessary job but it kept her occupied and feeling useful, which made her Mama happy.

The eight-year-old’s bedtime eventually arrived and Myka called Pete so that he could put Helena on speaker-phone to say goodnight. They were making good progress, having identified the artefact as a charm on a bracelet.

After meticulously walking Agent Lattimer through her trip to the store, they honed in on the moment when, in the freezer aisle, HG had collided with a woman and stopped to help her pick up her belongings. In hindsight, it seemed slightly odd that a bracelet should have come unhinged when the inventor had barely touched the arm to which it attached. They weren’t yet clear on whether the act had been deliberate or not but Helena wasn’t ruling it out at this point.

Claudia had returned from a snag and joined Artie at the Warehouse to begin the search for clues. Nothing to do with the markings could be found, but she did manage to access the CCTV in the store to identify the woman with the charm and guided Pete and Helena in her direction.

Agent Lattimer was first through the door of the small semi, his Tesla raised and ready for an attack that didn’t come. He couldn’t hear his colleague move but as he checked the downstairs and found nothing, a startled cry came from the first floor. He hot footed up the stairs to investigate and found their suspect lying on the floor of the master bedroom, struggling against an invisible force.

“If you would be so kind as to help me tie her up, Pete?” HG’s strained voice came from the same direction.

Snapping to attention, Agent Lattimer did as he was told. After pulling the woman off the floor and making her sit on the bed, Pete asked the inventor if she could see the artefact anywhere.

Not seeing it on the woman’s wrist, Helena glanced around, contemplating where she could have hidden it. “You deliberately collided with me in the convenience store,” she accused with no preamble. “Why?”

The Captive remained silent, eyes fixed firmly on a spot on the carpet until a sharp pain flared between her shoulder blades and she found herself forced forward. “Ah! I just needed someone to test it on!”

Pete took a hesitant step forward. Somehow, not being able to see the expression on his friend’s face, this act of physical interrogation seemed much more violent. “HG?” he inquired cautiously. Hadn’t Kevin Bacon gone insane after becoming invisible? He couldn’t afford to let that happen here. “You ok?”

“Spiffy,” Helena responded. Back to her captive though, she didn’t let up the pressure. “I don’t think so. We found your message. Now, I am going to release your arms and you are going to decide to be chatty all of a sudden. I have worked hard to find redemption but you never know, today might be the day I suffer a relapse.”

Feeling invisible hands loosing their hold, the captive let out a breath of relief and rolled her shoulders gingerly “I had to prove my worth to them,” she hissed hatefully.

“Where’s the artefact?” Agent Lattimer butted in, partially to remind the inventor that he was involved in this investigation too.  She nodded towards the bedside drawer. “In here?” he asked and snapped on his purple gloves. With a static bag ready, he carefully opened the drawer and snagged the charm-bracelet sitting, looking harmless, atop a pile of brochures.

As soon as Helena saw that her fellow agent had what they needed, she turned back to her task. She barely noticed the sparks or the gradual return of her visibility, all she cared about at that moment was finding out who had organised this invasion of her life. “Who sanctioned this? Who were you trying to impress?”

Two things happened in quick succession, startling both agents. The woman opened her mouth to speak and before any sound could escape, she began to convulse. The intense shaking threw the woman’s head back and they both heard a distinctive snap before all motion stopped.

“Holy-moly,” Pete whispered once he began breathing again.

“Well, that _was_ somewhat impressive,” HG commented dryly. “However, I don’t believe this is quite the result she was hoping for.”

* * * * *

With Christina finally asleep and little else to do but wait for her fiancée and friend to return, Myka closed her laptop down and joined her mother on the couch.

“So, you have _time_ to talk to me now?” Jeannie asked, putting her book aside and sounding irritable after letting her feelings build all afternoon.

“Mom...” Myka began, her own voice sounding tired and exasperated.

“I just want the truth, Myka.” Mrs Bering interrupted. “Is that so much to ask?”

Agent Bering levelled a harder gaze at her mother. “The last time I came out with the truth, you all but disowned me, so forgive me if I’m a little hesitant,” she snapped. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

Jeannie made a concerted effort to let go of her anger as she watched her daughter struggle and felt a resurgence of the guilt she’d experienced with Christina. “Myka, since you began working at that place, I just don’t understand your life. I tried after you helped your father out and I thought I was doing quite well but...” she trailed off as she struggled to find the words.

The agent smiled sadly. “I know, Mom, and I wish I could explain even half of it to you. I wish I could help you understand how incredible my life really is, or how Helena and Christina were always destined to be a part of it.”

“Destiny, Myka? Really?” A blonde eyebrow rose on a sceptical face. “I can see that you’re happy and Helena isn’t quite the monster I imagined her to be.” Jeannie reached out tentatively with a hand to touch her daughter’s cheek. “I just always imagined that one day you would meet your prince and that he would sweep you off your feet.”

Myka’s sad smile twisted into a stiff grin. “Well I did, Mom. Only my prince turned out to be a princess. And as for being swept off my feet, the first time Helena saved my life, she pulled me thirty feet into the air with a grappling hook when I was about to be run over. Feet sweeping doesn’t get much more literal than that.”

“Well, as your father keeps reminding me ‘there’s not much point in trying to lock the stable door once the horse has bolted’.” Mrs Bering placed her hand over one of Myka’s, having finally come to a decision. “I am glad that you’re happy, pumpkin. The circumstances are not what I would call ideal, but I’m beginning to see that I might just lose you forever if I don’t learn how to live with it. So, if you can be patient with me, Myka, I’d like to see you... and your family... more often.”

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t the unconditional acceptance she’d hoped for from the beginning. But in that moment, Jeannie Bering putting aside her prejudices for the sake of her child’s happiness, there were no words to describe the joy that filled the agent’s body. Even had she managed to find an apt sentiment, the words would never have made their way passed the lump in her throat.

Myka leant across the couch to wrap her arms around her mother’s body and to stifle a sob into the knitted fabric of a thick cardigan. A familiar scent plunged her mind back to many childhood moments where only the presence of this woman had banished her fears and woes, where a kind word had bolstered her confidence or a smile had lessened the pain of a wound. She was content enough in her own skin to know that she could have survived without these arms ever holding her again, but to feel their warmth around her now, the agent basked in the knowledge that she wouldn’t have to.

Jeannie blinked rapidly. First from surprise and then to control the flood of tears that wanted to join Myka’s. Her strong, fiercely independent girl was falling apart in her arms and she knew that she was the reason for the sudden explosion of emotion - both the good and the bad. She held on tighter, determined not to let her fears hurt either of them any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, she comes to her senses! Took her long enough, huh?
> 
> Next up... Christina's birthday.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback this week. I had a hellish week at work and your reviews were beacons of light, guiding me towards the weekend!
> 
> Lots of questions about the bad guys lurking in the background. The Birth is still mostly about focussing on family life, while moving the plot along in the background. So, if it's not explicit enough, feel free to assume that every effort is being made by the 'good guys' to find out about these fiends and that they are taking the threat seriously. I don't plan on getting in depth with them for a while yet though.
> 
> Hopefully, this chapter will put some minds at ease for our OTP and family's safety.

With late spring flowers now in full bloom and the weather allowing everyone to enjoy longer periods of the outdoors, May heralded hope for brighter days ahead. One young girl in particular grew ever more excited as her birthday drew closer.

Even with over a week to go, Christina couldn’t help her mind wandering back to her plans; the guest list, the venue, the food and the games. Her unusual lack of focus on her schoolwork was beginning to test her mother’s patience.

“Mummy, what will happen at my party if it rains?”

“We will keep an eye on the weather forecast and if it doesn’t look promising then we will arrange for the equipment to be set up inside. The marquee should still suffice for the tables, chairs and food,” Helena answered, forcing the irritation out of her tone – these sorts of questions had peppered her and Myka for over a week now.

“What if there’s a storm?”

_Count to ten, H..._ The inventor smiled wryly at her brother’s voice in her head. “Then we will set everything up inside.”

“What if it won’t fit?”

“Then I suppose we will have to deflate the bouncy castle while we eat and Eric the Enchanter will have to set up his stage at a later time.” _Or I might just insist that everyone bring an umbrella, just in case._

“What if he won’t?”

“I will ensure that he is appropriately compensated for any inconvenience,” HG insisted, her tone becoming stern before she added, “We will handle any unforeseen problems as they arise, Christina. At present though, we have work to do.”

A petulant shadow passed over innocent looking features for a second and then relented. “Ookay,” she answered, drawing out the word as she put pencil back to paper.

“So, you’ve calculated the amount of timber we need, now you must find out how much it will cost and what will be left in our budget for other materials,” Helena explained carefully, shaking her head through a smile and feeling glad to be able to get back to work.

While spending a month in Colorado Springs, their tree-house project had ground to a halt. They were picking it back up with the hope of having it built before Myka went into labour. The inventor knew from experience that they would be much too busy to continue the tricky construction once there was a newborn taking up much of their time, and she was of like mind with her daughter that it was their project and shouldn’t be touched by outsiders.

It was nice to be home again, to be surrounded by their own belongings and to feel a sense of relaxation that came from being in _their_ space. They all agreed that they missed Colorado though. During their month-long stay, they had made many wonderful memories and along with Myka’s parents’ grudging approval, their trip had turned out to be a taste of a potential future.

Helena recalled the expression of joy on her partner’s face every morning as they stepped outside to be greeted by mountains and sky. It was not an unfamiliar sight, the road over to the Warehouse boasting similar, if somewhat barren views, but something about the Cheyenne range lifted a peaceful serenity to Myka’s features whenever she saw them.

Having considered the possibility of relocating with her family back to her homeland, the inventor began to realise that such an undertaking would pull too much at the bonds of friendship and extended family. Though modern technology could keep them in touch, she knew that a face on a screen wouldn’t be enough. Myka and Tracy were already talking about play-dates between Daniel and Freddy, Pete was eager for the girl he and Lila were expecting to know her aunts and cousins too, and now, the Berings-senior were looking forward to spending more time with their children and grandchildren.

England might have to be the mistress they visited annually; often enough to reaffirm her routes while not forcing a wedge between the people she loved.

The plan was still to travel and explore before making any lasting decisions, but Myka had already expressed interest in exploring Colorado’s real-estate, and the inventor was equally enthusiastic about the idea of settling in a place that could provide opportunities for them and their children while keeping them within a reasonable distance of their Warehouse family. There were still no certainties but it was definitely an attractive addition to the table.

Myka joined them in the garden for lunch, her hands full as she carried a tray of food awkwardly across the decking. Helena sighed to herself with exasperated fondness as she jumped up to relieve her fiancée of her burden.

“Darling, really?” Helena shook her head even as she continued to smile. “You are allowed to ask for help.”

“It’s not that heavy,” the brunette protested. “Besides, you both looked so studious out here, I didn’t want to interrupt.” Ignoring the eyes rolling at her, she smiled sweetly and moved around the tray her partner now held to land a kiss on a pale cheek. Christina looked up at her eagerly as she approached. Once she’d managed to place both of her legs under the table, she held out an arm to invite the girl closer.

The nearly-nine-year-old immediately fell under her Mama’s wing and snuggled into a comfy shoulder. “Mummy says that we can go to the lumber yard soon, so we can order the materials we need for the tree house,” she announced excitedly.

Helena began unloading the plates and bowls from the tray. “If we manage to finalise the plans, we can make the trip before the weekend. It would be convenient to have all of our materials ready to begin construction after a certain someone’s birthday celebration.”

Myka, playing along with her fiancée’s weary tone, feigned ignorance, “Is it someone’s birthday this weekend?”

“Mama!” Christina exclaimed indignantly, her head jerking back to glare at her American mother. Seeing the amusement on her parents’ faces, she folded her arms across her chest. “Not funny,” she mumbled, though a tiny smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

The weekend eventually arrived, much to the birthday girl’s delight and her parents’ relief. Despite concerns, the weather leant itself perfectly to an outdoor celebration. Between Eric the Enchanter, the bouncy castle, blind-man’s-bluff, stuck in the mud and a whole lot of food, Christina barely had a moment to say a word to either of her mothers. She conducted the changes between activities when she decided it was time to move on and Adelaide was right beside her, deputy to her every command.

Myka sat with her fiancée and all of the other adults who were there for either Christina or accompanying their own child. Though she chatted with her friends and got to know a little more about some of the other parents in the neighbourhood, she kept a surreptitious eye on the inventor.

During the days leading up to Christina’s special day, Helena became increasingly introspective. Several times, Agent Bering found her lover standing in doorways, simply gazing at their daughter, arms wrapped around herself and tears gathering in her eyes. When this happened, Myka crept up behind the Brit and embraced her, wordlessly offering her support.

The bittersweet realisation that this day, an agonising impossibility at one point, had arrived; it caught Helena at unexpected moments and tugged at those old wounds. It was a day for celebration, a day for reflecting on their fortunes and a day for finding hope where fear once resided. It was profound joy, and not sadness, that brought the waterworks to the inventor’s eyes. It was a feeling that was worth taking the time to appreciate.

The future stretched like a beacon before them and yet life, in the grand scheme of things, was somewhat fleeting. Even her extended existence was a mere spec on the timeline of the universe and it was thoughts like this that reminded the scientist to stop every once in a while to take it all in.

They were atoms packed together, experiencing moments, convergences, events, in which they were rarely master. This reality, that at one time in her life had tortured her, was almost a blissful release for her now. She felt like she was finally learning how to flow with the river rather than fighting against it.

The most recent attempt to disrupt their lives was amateurish at best; a desperate act by an individual to keep them looking over their shoulders, but far from making the agents fearful, their collective resolve and confidence bolstered. Spurred into action, they ‘hit the books’ the moment they were home. Following Pete and Helena’s report, Claudia had already found footage of the culprit and identified her. Now, she was in the process of logging her every move from the past few years, while Mrs Fredrick, Jane and Mr Kosan assured them that they were monitoring the situation just as closely.

They were on form and for once, they felt strong. Whether this was due to an external force, or whether they had subconsciously decided not to be intimidated, they chose not to question. No one was going to stop them from living their lives the way they wanted to, and when the time came for the enemy to finally reveal themselves, Myka and Helena wanted to be able to say with certainty that they had given their family a foundation that would help them weather any storm.

Unforgettable birthday parties were all part of that goal.

Hours after most of the guest bid their farewells and Helena had checked with the venue and entertainers that everything was in order, they drove home with two sugar-energised girls in the back seat and a convoy of family following behind.

“Myka?” a timidly-brave voice spoke up from the back seat.

The brunette smiled into the rear-view mirror. “Yes, Adelaide?”

“Are you swimming with us tomorrow?” the curious girl asked.

“I bought a bathing costume for the occasion. It’s the first time I’ll have seen either of these two in the water; I definitely don’t want to miss it!” she teased with a side-long glance at her partner.

For her part, Helena merely gazed back, enjoying the images her thoughts conjured. “Neither do I,” she replied huskily, earning her a suggestive glance.

“Daddy takes me swimming nearly every week and sometimes we go to the skating rink after. Do you skate, Chrissi?”

The young American was beginning to find her feet with the Bering/Wells clan now, displaying more of the chatty child Myka had first met in Boone. The agent reluctantly admitted to herself that her original opinion of the girl as an arrogant know it all was grossly influenced by her feeling of utter devastation at the time.

Shaking her head, Christina began to explain, “Mama wants to take me when I go for the first time. We’re going to go in August.”

Myka pulled into the driveway of their home and glanced back at the girls. Seeing a flash of disappointment cross over their guest’s eyes, Myka turned round in her seat. “That’s largely because Helena doesn’t skate and I can’t until the baby is born.”

Adelaide’s cool-blue gaze caught green in a hopeful exchange. “Daddy said he would let me have my party at the rink and I was hoping Chrissi could come. We could have a sleepover at my house.”

There was a moment where the adults paused in the motion of unbuckling their belts and collecting items to exit the car, the same thought on both their minds - Boone was a long way from home.

“May I, Mama?” Christina asked when neither of her parents answered immediately.

“We’ll have a chat with Adelaide’s father first, but I don’t see there being a problem,” Myka finally responded.

Their exit from the car met with excited chatter as the rest of their family and friends began to gather at their front door. Christina took the reins once more and ushered everyone into the back garden where there were already tables and chairs littering the decking and half of the lawn. Pete’s requested barbecue stood ready and with an amused eye-roll and a kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend, he leapt at the sack of coals.

In the kitchen, Leena began pulling iced-tea and lemonade from the fridge and pouring them into pitchers for Steve to carry out back. Helena juggled a handful of vegetables while Myka fetched the chopping board and insisted that she still had enough energy to help put a bit of salad into a bowl for later.

“Darling, there’s no shame in resting while you can,” Helena insisted as she moved behind her fiancée and wrapped both arms around her waist. “I don’t think you’re incapable of helping, I just want you to take care of yourself,” she whispered into soft curls as her chin came to rest against a shoulder. “You’ve been on your feet most of the morning. If you can tell me honestly that you are not beginning to ache, then I will say no more about it.”

Myka turned in the embrace with a coy smile and a slight shake of the head. “Perhaps I’m just looking for an excuse to beg for a massage later?” she suggested with a kiss to the corner of the Brit’s mouth. Seeing interest lighting up those dark eyes, she immediately leant back in and drew her partner in for a softer, slower meeting of lips.

They remained that way until a deep sigh and a slightly high-pitched ‘aww’ interrupted their pocket of bliss. Both turned to find Claudia grinning at them from behind her clenched hands.

“I would ship you two so hard,” the red-head declared with a squeak.

Myka chuckled while Helena frowned. “I’m not entirely certain that I want to be part of a scenario where ‘ship’ is used as a verb. Where would we be going exactly?” Continuing to think on the word, she added, “I’m also unsure as to what _solidity_ or _ease_ have to do with shipping.”

Claudia ignored the confusion and explained that she’d been sent to take over food duties so that the couple could join the birthday girl in her revelry.

HG leant closer to her lover. “You will explain this desire Claudia has to deport us?” Myka noted with another chuckle that she would, when they were alone. As they passed through the hallway, the inventor added in a whisper, “I’m still good for that massage later.”

“I’ll bet,” Agent Bering grinned back.

Outside, most of the adults found seats for themselves and were engaged in conversation. With all of the Berings and Littlewoods in earshot, the Warehouse crew were being careful with their topics.

Over on the remaining expanse of lawn, Christina and Adelaide sat on a blanket, accompanied by Angelina, Roquefort and Old-Ted (Myka’s childhood bear) but, more importantly, Tracy and Daniel had decided to join them. The girls were pouring ‘drinks’ and handing out ‘cake’ to those assembled while the baby sucked on the rim of a plastic saucer and his mother made sure that anything hazardous remained out of his reach.

Myka eyed the blanket for a moment, subconsciously considering how long it would take to stand up once she was sitting on the ground, adding into those calculations the amount of time before her next bathroom break. Deciding that the potential loss of dignity was low in current company, she reached out for Helena’s hand and carefully sank down to join the tea party, automatically tightening her pelvic muscles as the baby pressed against her bladder. She was suddenly very glad that she’d kept up with her Kegels exercises throughout her pregnancy. Not only had they renewed her interest in making love since Helena began to help, they had prevented more than one near accident after being caught short for the toilet.

At around thirty weeks now, she was really beginning to feel the strain on her body and annoyingly, the return some of those early pregnancy symptoms to go along with the huge belly! With her fiancée constantly encouraging her to take care of herself - willing to massage her feet and back, rub lotion on her bump, join her with her ‘homework’ from their childbirth class and generally cater to her every whim – she knew she was in good hands and felt almost ready to have this baby.

Interacting with her nephew now was the icing on the cake. As her breath caught at his gummy-smile, she felt Helena leave her side and glanced back to see her walking toward the rest of their family. Before the end of the summer, their son would be sitting on this blanket with them, albeit with support. The smile that settled on her lips at that thought would take hours to fully fade.

Feeling like she was floating on a gentle breeze, the inventor wandered toward the rest of their guests and sought out her partner in crime for the day. Seeing Steve standing unobtrusively beside Pete, camcorder in hand, the lens fixed continuously on her little girl, Agent Wells grinned. Such a device she had once attempted to invent herself but, though it had worked, it was nothing compared to the modern equivalent. Capturing footage of her family always gave her a giddy feeling of excitement. How nice it would be to have moving pictures of her brother and grandparents. She caught the young man’s eye and offered him a nod of thanks.

“HG,” Lila greeted the inventor warmly as she joined the group at the table. “Another successful party. I’ll have to start hiring your services for any I have coming up; parents, brothers, aunts and uncles, cousins. Pete too of course.”

“Pete’s would require very little actual planning I expect.” Helena half turned to look at the man in question. Still manipulating the barbecue, he was humming to himself and performing a little happy-dance with his bottom half. She shook her head affectionately. “Myka tells me that there is an establishment known as Chucky-Cheese? Supposedly it hosts children’s birthday parties. Perhaps start there?”

The blonde snorted her amusement. “I can totally imagine Pete there.”

Helena smiled and poured herself a glass of water. “How are thing?” she asked softly. Rarely did they sit and chat like this, and after her talk with Pete some weeks ago, she was curious.

“Things are great, thank you.” Lila smiled shyly, her gaze wandering automatically to her boyfriend. “Whatever you said to him before, he seems to have really taken it to heart. I thought we were happy before, but somehow there was always this underlying tension. I don’t think either of us realised it was there until it wasn’t any more.”

“When you can’t see the wood for the trees. I know that feeling. I’m glad everything is working out for the two of you. Though he frequently drives me up the wall, I am rather fond of the oaf.” HG let her gaze wander round the table and paused when she arrived at her future mother-in-law. Leaning a little closer to the blonde, she lowered her voice. “It appears as if Myka’s mother has discovered the benefits to accepting our alternative lifestyle.”

Surreptitiously, they watched the Bering matriarch as she gazed tearily over at her children and grandchildren on the lawn. Helena resisted shaking her head at the woman’s stubbornness and made a mental note to send Myka’s parents a copy of the day’s proceedings. However, if the ridiculous number of gifts her daughter received from the couple was any indication, perhaps encouraging them further was not the best idea.

“I have to say, I didn’t think she’d ever come around like she has,” Lila admitted. At HG’s ‘go on’ expression, she added, “I have a huge extended family and most of them are very conservative. A couple of my distant cousins are gay and I think I heard that my aunt Suzanne is moving to Europe with her partner and that she’s pre-op for a sex-change, but no one in the family even acknowledges their existence any more. My Mom caught my brother trying on her high-heels and lipstick once and grounded him for a month. You can imagine what they think of my refusal to get married.”

Helena’s expression had darkened and she had to physically shake herself to get rid of it. “That is part of the reason you refused Pete?” she asked and watched a blonde head nod. “I can relate. I despised the role I was expected to fill as a girl and a young woman. I fought my mother furiously to be more than simply the product of a mould.” Her eyes glazed over as she stared into the middle distance and got lost in memories of a time long past. “I believe I may have based many of my choices on the need to show defiance more than for actual desire. I enjoyed being rebellious but it was only when I met Myka that I realised how empty my life, my heart had been up until then.” She gazed longingly at her wife-to-be, feeling an abrupt need to feel her lover’s arms around her - an urge to ensure that she was real. “As a young adult, I swore that I would never shackle myself to another. I was married to science and adventure and would end my life happily as a spinster.” She smiled ruefully and shook her head slightly. “I thoroughly underestimated the power that true love holds in its grasp. Now I cannot imagine a future where I would not vow to be hers forever.”

A lengthy silence followed this short speech, but the inventor appeared not to notice.

Lila stared at the Brit for the longest time before letting out a loud breath. “You’re a tough act to follow, you know that?”

Hearing the exasperation in her friend’s tone, HG finally turned to look back into blue eyes. She smiled gently and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Don’t follow,” she advised shortly. “Lead with what suits _you_.”

* * * * *

Exhausted, with two excited girls fighting sleep, Helena closed the door to her daughter’s room for the third time and hoped that her stern warning was enough to make them finally settle down. She was very serious about not escorting two cranky children to a venue full of cranky children when she herself was feeling cranky. No amount of pouting could make her live through that hell. Thankfully, the threat had seemed to have the right effect and as she remained at the door a while longer, listening for a resurgence of animated chatter, she blew out a breath of relief and retreated once more to her own bedroom.

Crawling under the covers, HG welcomed the arm that pulled her closer and snuggled up against her lover’s back.

“Did you really threaten not to take them swimming tomorrow?” Myka’s muffled voice drifted through the dark.

“Yes,” Helena replied, her tone holding an edge, as if she was prepared to defend herself against her partner’s disapproval. “And I meant it.” The quiet stretched on until the inventor began to question her decision. She could tell that Myka wanted to comment but wasn’t sure what response to expect. Had she been too harsh? “Do you think I was wrong to suggest it?”

The brunette’s hand found Helena’s and squeezed in comfort. “No, honey. They need a firm hand sometimes. I guess I just realised how much _I’d_ been looking forward to tomorrow.”

HG felt the tension leave her body and smiled into soft curls. “Does this sudden desire to swim have anything to do with the bathing costume you helped me pick out?”

Myka was silent long enough that Helena knew she was trying to think of a way to deny the accusation without lying. The Brit chuckled. “I could model it for you now, if you’d like?” she asked, beginning to feel less tired as she moved up onto her elbow and leaned over to get a clearer view of her partner’s face.

Green eyes flashed with interest as the brunette seriously considered the suggestion, but then she realised that Helena would have to leave the bed again and she didn’t think either of them really had the energy to make the most of it anyway. Tilting her head to meet dark eyes, she smiled softly and reached up to stroke a pale cheek. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m comfy with you here and I don’t want you to have to move again.” She hummed contentedly into the kiss that met her lips before snuggling into her human pillow again. “The next time we get away from home though, I think we should seriously consider the beach or a hotel pool.”

Helena ran her thumb soothingly over the top of Myka’s bump. “I presume that you mean to take another holiday soon?” she thought aloud. “We could take a look at what’s available in Wyoming for the duration of Christina’s stay with Adelaide?”

“Mm-hm,” Myka agreed half-consciously. “Though I was really just thinking that from now on we just take Claudia with us everywhere we go.” She grinned with her eyes still shut as she felt her lover pinch her side in admonishment.

Helena appreciated her fiancée’s playful side and basked in the moment while they both drifted on the edge of sleep. “I don’t think Claudia would fall for that plan, darling.”

A yawn followed a short pause. “Then I’ll have to bribe her,” Myka declared as her words tapered off and her breathing betrayed her descent into sleep.

Helena smiled to herself as her ears caught the remnants of something called a ‘pez dispenser’. She assumed it was something that Claudia would be unable to say no to.

Despite the weariness that filled her limbs, Helena’s mind continued to whirr with thoughts. Keeping her right hand tangled in her lover’s wild locks, she turned slightly onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

Every waking moment of the last twenty-four hours she’d tried to commit to memory. After returning to Univille in the wake of Myka’s birthday, she’d taken the time to spend a few sessions with Abigail. They’d discussed her misery in the aftermath of Christina’s death and her anger at the realisation that she would never see her little girl’s next birthday. They hung around lingering fears of history repeating itself and debated how she might redirect her energies to look upon events of the past as necessary paths to the present rather than monumental failures. It was a feat easier said than done but the mere suggestion of an alternative was enough to remind the inventor that nothing was certain. Trying to exert control over that uncertainty was a useless task.

Recalling her teen and the very solid vision of her family’s future, Helena was able to turn her thoughts toward brighter pastures; destiny was on their side. Instead of what could go wrong, she pictured the chance to see her darling daughter grown on a year, the son she would soon hold in her arms, the wedding she and Myka had tentatively date-marked for the spring two years hence. It was time to enjoy life’s bounties and accept that she could do very little about the unseen dangers. It was time to decide whether fear was going to continue to dictate the direction of her life or if she was going to take control.

_Fear drove you to Nate,_ she reminded herself bitterly, recalling the expression of abject rejection on her beloved’s face as Pete and Myka left her in Boone. _Not again._

If her children were to have a chance to be fearless in the face of their unavoidable foes, she had to lead by example.

Latest research from the Warehouse did much to help in this endeavour; Claudia’s information on the recent attacker and Mr Kosan’s discovery of the meaning behind the graffiti left for them to find, both offering hope.

Rose Ingress was a disgruntled factory worker from some nowhere town in Utah. She had a long history of disciplinary action from employers for her prejudiced attitudes towards colleagues and fellow citizens. No doubt, she had found it difficult to secure work toward the end of her life, which went a way to explaining her interest in misusing an artefact. Claudia had traced her movements to a little known activist group and, after some digging, latched onto some mention of procuring power through magical objects. It was a start.

As for the marks left on the side of the building housing Myka’s early foray into the education system, they were astonished to discover that they were protection wards.

Despite the appearance of being newly painted, local history confessed mass bafflement over the ‘art’. Many attempts at covering the marks had proved futile and in the end, the local council had simply shrugged and refused to waste further time or money on the useless task. Eventually, it became a quirky feature of the local landscape and people began to ignore its presence, enough that Myka and Tracy had grown up with no knowledge of the story.

The head regent seemed inordinately pleased to inform Helena and Myka that they had evidence of these wards appearing in many places where Agent Bering had chosen to settle, usually in some obscure, out of sight area. After hearing this, Agent Wells insisted on seeing her grandmother’s later journals. It did not take much digging on her part to find reference to the extra precautions placed around Myka, and in extension, her loved ones.

It wasn’t much yet, but it left them hopeful. The wards would offer them protection and bring them peace of mind for now. Until the time came to fight, their family was safe from mortal harm.

Lying beside her heavily pregnant fiancée, their now nine-year-old daughter sleeping soundly close by, Helena felt finally able to smile despite her concerns for the future.

Fortune smiled on them through the ages. Their story was full of impossibilities and yet here they were. The future was still open to change and she wanted those manipulations to come from her. She wouldn’t simply exist as a part of history, she would make history. She would act, not react, and the best place to start was in her own mind.

Myka shuddered in her sleep and drew the inventor’s attention. HG pulled the bed covers over her shoulders and rolled once more to settle against her lover’s back. She felt the brunette shift closer and stilled until Myka’s breathing deepened again.

_For us, darling,_ she promised silently.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next... Adelaide's birthday and a difficult revelation for Christina.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little warning for some angst in this chapter. Also fluffiness with our OTP and some questionable snooping. I confess that I'm a bit of a Disney fan and am not really up to date on what 'the kids' are watching these days. The movies mentioned in this chapter just seemed to fit well and I couldn't find suitable, modern replacements. I hope it seems plausible that the girls would choose to watch them.

Myka held her glass of water tightly between two hands as she stared around the space and tried not to focus too much on memories of this living room and the sensation of her heart breaking. Feeling butterflies in her stomach as she waited for Helena to return from upstairs, Agent Bering placed her drink on the coffee table and laid both hands over her bump. As if knowing that his mother needed a reminder of the change in circumstances, Freddy rocked against the outer wall of his warm sanctuary.

“Not long now, little man. I guess your sister has found something to distract your Mummy with,” she whispered to herself.

On the heels of those words, renewed chattering filled the landing, coming ever closer as Helena and Christina made their way back downstairs. They were alone for now and Myka assumed that Nate was keeping Adelaide busy; usually when the two girls were together, there was no separating them.

Agent Wells eyed the tenseness of her fiancée’s posture and held afore both hands to pull Myka to her feet. She wasted no time or thought as she kissed the brunette and tugged her towards the door.

“We’re leaving already?” Myka queried with no small amount of relief as the inventor slipped into her shoes. She looked around for Christina and found her daughter reaching up to the coat hooks for their handbags.

“No sense in standing on ceremony,” HG replied and then called up the stairs, “We’re leaving!”

Adelaide appeared beside Nate at the top of the stairs and bounded down, straight into Helena’s arms. “I wish you could stay,” she blurted, completely oblivious to the awkward glances between the two women and her father. “You promise you’ll come to watch us skate tomorrow? I’m going to teach Chrissi how to go backwards!”

Helena watched her daughter’s eyes light up at the idea and tried to contain her scepticism. “As long as you’re enjoying yourselves, I don’t think it matters in which direction you’re going, though I think Christina will need time to get comfortable with the basics first,” she cautioned, though she was aware that her words were likely falling on deaf ears. “We promise to be there.”

“As long as there’s still going to be carrot cake,” Myka added, her words serving to break the tension slightly. “That was _your_ promise, remember?” she asked the blue-eyed birthday girl.

“Of course!” Adelaide squealed, making her friend giggle as all the adults flinched. “It’s my favourite after all.”

“Mine too,” Agent Bering grinned and felt her lover’s hand fall against the small of her back.

Helena met Nate’s thoughtful gaze and offered him a small smile. She could only guess at how difficult he and Myka were finding this whole situation, and though she regretted how her actions had caused both of them pain, she couldn’t feel entirely bad for the consequences. The smiles on the girls’ faces were enough to dissuade her habit of dredging up old guilt. “Christina, are you certain that you have everything you need?”

“Yes, Mummy,” the young Victorian replied, catching an almost sigh before it started. Instead, she left her friend’s side and wrapped her arms around HG’s waist. She accepted a kiss and then moved on to her Mama. “Can I call you at bedtime?”

Myka kissed her daughter firmly atop her head of wavy hair. “I’m sure Adelaide’s daddy will let you call us before bedtime,” she responded before glancing at the man in question and receiving a nod of the head. “You’ll be on your best behaviour?”

Helena’s expression mirrored her fiancée’s as she recalled nights spent going back and forth between bedrooms. “And go to sleep when you’re asked to,” she glanced between the girls. “Both of you?” she added.

Two sheepish expressions gazed up at the adults, glanced at each other and valiantly held in twin grins.

Nate shook his head, his experience of slumber parties outweighing that of the women before him. He knew he was in for a trying couple of days with less sleep than he would like. It came with the territory and so long as it brought a smile to his little girl’s face, he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” he told his guests and stroked his daughter’s hair. “You have all the details for tomorrow?” he asked Helena.

“Yes. And you have our numbers if there are any issues,” the Brit replied, reassuring herself and Myka more than anyone. She encouraged her partner toward the door, knowing that they had been there long enough. “We’ll speak to you later, darling. Have a wonderful time,” she smiled at Christina and made a beeline for the car.

Sharing Helena’s difficulty, Myka put on a brave face and blew kisses at their little girl, taking comfort in the expression of excitement on those perfect features before they eventually rounded a corner and lost sight of the house and its occupants. She sank back into her seat, eyes closing and content to let Helena drive in silence for several minutes.

The inventor’s driving had really improved since her early days in the twenty-first century and Myka barely remembered some days that the auto-mobile had been little more than a dream when Helena was born. She supposed it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise really – the Brit was a dab-hand with machines and a quick study.

“Are you alright, love?” Helena asked once they left the suburbs and were heading into the city.

Wanting to be near Christina but not so close that their presence was stifling their girl’s growing independence, they’d chosen a hotel less than an hour away. The distance stretched to the limits all of their comfort zones but it was a necessary step that they all had to take.

Myka heard several layers of meaning behind her fiancée’s question and wrapped a hand around the inventor’s knee. “I know what you did back there, with all the extra attention – the little touches and kisses,” she explained gratefully. “Thank you. It wasn’t easy being in that house again.”

“I know,” Helena acknowledged. “I’m here now, Myka. I’m not going anywhere. If ever you feel the need to remind yourself that I am yours, feel free to drag me aside to touch and kiss me ‘til your heart’s content.”

The expectant agent grinned and pinched the knee under her hand. “Noted.”

They arrived at their hotel on the outskirts of Casper and checked in. With key-card in hand and only small overnight bags each, they rode the elevator up two floors and found their room after a short walk, number one hundred and sixteen.

Standing beside the door to the bathroom, watching her lover unpack, Myka took in the decadent surroundings. “You know, we don’t always have to stay in the most expensive places, Helena. A well kept motel would be fine too.”

HG’s eyebrows drew together as she contemplated the suggestion. “One of those places where you _drive_ up to your room you mean?”

Myka chuckled at the expression of distaste on her lover’s face. She moved slowly closer and settled her hands on the inventor’s hips. “Yes, one of _those_ places. So long as I have you, what do I need chocolates on the pillow and tiny bottles of shampoo for?”

“You deserve the best,” Helena tried to argue, though her attention was firmly settled on a pair of glossy lips.

“And I say again,” Myka caught a bottom lip between her two. “I have you,” she whispered, before sinking into Helena’s embrace and enjoying her particular brand of attention.

Bags remained unpacked as they sank onto the bed and began a languorous exploration. Myka had to admit, as she managed to find a comfortable position around her bump, that the bed was a definite plus to the luxury hotel. Perhaps she would defer her objections over her fiancée’s choice of accommodation until after the birth. Though with only eight weeks left to go, opportunities would be few and far between in any case.

After groaning her pleasure into Helena’s kisses, Myka fell asleep between layers of Egyptian cotton and remained that way for a good hour. Her sleep patterns were all over the place of late, her dreams sometimes waking her with their intensity and leaving her unable to settle again, not to mention the numerous times she woke to use the bathroom or wander downstairs for a snack.

At his current state of growth, her baby pushed against her stomach, which made it hard to consume complete meals. She’d take to eating a lot of finger foods; things that were easy to pop in a pocket or bag when she ventured out. Her super sense of smell put her off most things these days too but she still had enough cravings that she was in no danger of going hungry.

By the time she rose from her nap, Helena had unpacked what little they’d brought with them and was sat at the desk by the window, writing. Myka tried not to make any noise as she angled her body for a better view. What could be better on waking than finding HG Wells intent on her writing? Elegant hands at work; fingers either wrapped around a pen or holding the writer’s chin, a thoughtful expression furrowing an otherwise smooth textured complexion. Lips pursed and moving, tasting silent words. She was no writer herself, but Myka thought that her heart could compose indefinitely with a subject like her fiancée to feed her muse.

Seeing a twitch at the corner of Helena’s mouth, Myka knew she’d been caught staring. Building up some momentum, she made it into a sitting position and found the robe her lover had left lying on the end of the bed. The large, fluffy garment covered her adequately and she knew that the inventor had requested the larger size in advance.

Approaching the Brit from behind, Myka wrapped both arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “A new HG Wells masterpiece for a new millennium?” she asked into the shell of an ear.

Helena’s pen-free hand came up to entwine with her lover’s. “Something a little more prosaic I’m afraid; reminders for when we arrive home, love.”

Eyes having already scanned the page, Myka frowned in concentration as she puzzled over the list and kneaded her fingers and thumb into the base of the writer’s neck. “Formaldehyde, ethanol, vinegar, baking soda, bassinette, crib-mobile and brackets,” she read slowly. “I really hope most of those things are unrelated.”

Hearing the teasing in the American’s tone, HG adopted a wistful expression and half turned to gaze up at her wife-to-be. “It will be the most exciting new born entertainment system ever devised.”

“And the most dangerous. The minute you try to patent it, we will have Social Services hammering on our door,” Agent Bering noted dryly. “Are we heading out for dinner?” she added, noting the hour and considering her level of hunger.

Helena swivelled round in her chair. “I contemplated booking a table,” she admitted, her eyes flashing habitually as her gaze wandered the length of her fiancée’s body and she recalled their earlier encounter. Being uninhibited by parental duties at present was somewhat encouraging for her libido. Myka appeared not to notice her interest though. “I thought it best to wait and see what you fancied.”

Myka eyed the room service menu and thought about her pyjamas. There was a comfy looking chair beside a floor lamp that screamed ‘sit in me’ and her mind went to the book in her bag. “Would you mind if we ate in? I don’t really feel like getting dressed up.”

HG grinned. “If you intend to remain like this, I can hardly refuse.”

Catching the tone behind the Brit’s words, she flushed and rolled her eyes. “You didn’t get enough of this earlier?” she asked boldly, eyebrow raised with self-conscious amusement.

“I feel like there is an oxymoron in there somewhere,” Helena countered.

Pleased as she always was by Helena’s compliments, Myka smiled. She watched as her fiancée rose gracefully from the desk chair, feeling only mildly jealous at the ease of movement. Her hands reached up to cradle the other woman’s jaw as she leant in for a kiss. “Feed me first and then maybe I won’t complain when you watch me read.”

HG chuckled against Myka’s lips. “Why don’t you peruse the menu and I will order while you’re slipping into your nightwear?”

Myka wondered, not for the first time, what it was that the writer found so enticing about her. Helena’s hands played around her hips, occasionally brushing the sides of her belly and bum. She found the action more soothing than arousing though and hummed her contentment into the embrace. “Sometimes I think you like me being pregnant too much.”

“Ça, c’est impossible!” HG cried and then immediately toned down her enthusiasm when green eyes narrowed sharply. “Well, darling, can you blame me? You’re beautiful and I’m thoroughly enjoying sharing this experience with you.”

The explanation softened Myka’s expression but she couldn’t help the warning that fell from her lips. “Mmm, well make the most of it while you can because I’m not planning on having another.”

Helena pouted as the brunette moved out of her reach and picked up the menu. “We didn’t plan the first two,” she noted bluntly.

“Then all of our children will just have to be happy accidents,” Myka said softly as she ran a finger down a list of starters and tried to ignore the price.

As it wasn’t a topic they’d touched on much before, Helena swallowed her response and made a mental note to revisit it at a later date. Every time she looked at her fiancée and thought about how they had created this miracle together, she felt a surge of pride to think that she was giving something to the world instead of taking it away.

This feeling didn’t quite mesh with her belief that humans as a species were something of a plague on the planet, but that belief had been born in the wake of Christina’s death and encouraged by every example of indifference and cruelty she had witnessed thereafter. Now, with love filling her every waking moment, bringing new life into the world was once again a joyous experience and one she wouldn’t mind repeating.

It wasn’t _her_ body that was incubating that little bundle of joy though and she understood why Myka was reluctant to think about another addition to their family so soon.

* * * * *

While her parents were debating internally over the future structure of her family, Christina happily munched her way through Adelaide’s chosen birthday dinner of pizza and ice-cream while sitting cross legged on the living room floor, watching something called The Parent Trap.

Shortly after her parents had left, other girls began to arrive. The first two were good friends of Adelaide’s from school and the third was a cousin, who was the daughter of Nate’s sister and a year older than the rest of them. The school friends, Amelia and Codie greeted her as if she was a visiting dignitary but the cousin, Jenny, barely said hello and seemed to be mostly avoiding contact. Since she had no idea what she’d done to incite the girl’s ire, Christina decided that she would make do with staying out of her way and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the company.

They used Codie as a model and Amelia taught her how to braid a simple plait. Adelaide put so many clips and ties in it that there was near panic when they tried to remove it all. Christina begged to play with Amelia’s hair after that, her gaze pleading as she marvelled at the stark contrast between the white of the girl’s eyes and the dark, rich tone of her skin. She got lost in studying the neat, tightly woven rows as she wrapped ribbons around the ends and clipped them in place with tiny butterflies.

Hide and seek was followed by truth or dare and the young Victorian found herself on the receiving end of a barrage of questions regarding her origins and the absence of a father figure in her life.

She answered as best she could, which led them onto a conversation about London and eventually triggered the idea for the film.

They were half way through when Jenny spoke up from her position on the couch and Christina had a feeling that the older girl had been watching her for some time.

“I bet you’re loving this movie aren’t you, Wells? An American and an English woman coming together in a beautiful love story. I bet you have the hots for Lohan too. I’ve heard she’d into girls, you might have a chance in ten years time.”

It was obvious, as Amelia and Codie shared worried looks and Adelaide stiffened while taking to examining the carpet, that the older girl’s spiteful tone was not unintentional. Christina, though puzzled by the sudden verbal attack, turned to give her full attention to the issue.

“Which one is Lohan?” she asked with a veneer of calm. Deep inside, she shook with indignation as she wondered what the bloody hell she’d done to deserve this.

Jenny guffawed. “Man! Do they still live in caves in England, or did you not get cable in your castle? Lindsay Lohan plays the twins. The one with the freckles, see?”

“She’s in Freaky Friday too,” Codie interrupted, hoping to derail the conversation and restore a friendly atmosphere. “Have you seen it, Chrissi?”

Christina offered the girl a small smile for her efforts, shook her head a little and turned back to the glowering girl on the couch. “If they’re the same person, it would explain why she sounds like my Mama when she tries to mimic my Mummy’s voice,” she offered calmly.

“That’s it?” Jenny asked, her expression darkening. “Ad, are you really gonna let her pretend that her _Mummy_ did nothing wrong?”

Adelaide adopted a deer in the headlights look as the young Brit gazed at her in confusion, her dark eyes holding a depth of sadness. She had never been entirely sure if her new friend knew that Helena had lived with her and her dad. Helena’s apology touched her mind and she remembered the promise she’d made to keep Christina’s death a secret.

“It’s not Chrissi’s fault, Jen. She’s my friend and I wanted her to come to my party. And Helena didn’t mean to hurt my daddy; she feels really bad about it.” The more she spoke, the more Christina’s expression changed from confused to hurt. Seeing this made her feel bolder and she forgot all about her deference to her older cousin. She moved closer to her friend to throw an arm over her shoulders as a show of solidarity, effectively ending the conversation.

Jenny remained subdued after that. They managed to finish the movie and got part way through Freaky Friday before the heavy atmosphere began to lift and silly chatter returned to fill the room.

Christina joined in half-heartedly, her mind elsewhere as she wondered when would be the best time to pepper the birthday girl with more questions. She stared at her friend’s father for signs of injury when he interrupted to offer them more snacks, but could see none and her mind whirled with possibilities.

She was relieved to discover that Jenny’s visit did not include sleeping over but was further confused when Adelaide’s aunt gave her a look of cold indifference as their eyes met. She felt her stomach turn over and swallowed a tear.

There was enough space on the couch for the four girls to squash together and Christina found that she was thankful for being on the end where she could scrunch back into the cushions and try to hide. They were watching some show on the Disney Channel now and she was struggling to find interest in the drama between the characters, finding the overall effect too ‘loud’ for her tastes. She smiled in parts but her heart wasn’t in it. She perked up when a warm hand found hers and squeezed it gently.

Looking into her friend’s blue eyes, she discovered the comfort she so desperately needed and remembered how Adelaide had defended her mother. Maybe, whatever her Mummy’s offence, it wasn’t as bad as she was imagining.

Unable to shake it from her mind though, Christina lay wide-awake as the others gave into their collective sugar-crash later that night and drifted off to sleep. She tossed and turned, her mood swinging wildly between anger at her Mummy and Adelaide’s cousin, to a melancholy that gripped her insides tightly when she thought about the possibility of her mother hurting anyone.

Aware that the goodnight conversation she’d had with her parents had probably left them worrying about her, she felt guilty now on top of everything else. Unable to muster her usual enthusiasm, she had feigned the need to see what her new friends were doing and bid them a very rushed farewell over the phone.

Eventually, through sheer frustration, she poked her friend awake and demanded to know more.

“Addy?... No, it’s not morning... I want to know what Jenny meant,” Christina said in a hushed but firm tone. “What happened between your Daddy and my Mummy?”

The young American sighed, rubbed her eyes and turned to face her friend’s fierce expression. “Your Mummy used to live here, with me and my Daddy.”

“... For sleepovers?” the dark-eyed girl puzzled aloud.

Adelaide looked down at her quilt and back up hesitantly. “No. They met at a cooking class and they went out together... On dates. She called herself Emily and after a while, she came to live here. She shared my Daddy’s room.” As difficult as it was, talking about a time when she had enjoyed the English woman as a permanent fixture in her home, the pain was eclipsed by the renewed confusion and hurt she witnessed in Christina’s expression. She hastened to continue the story, knowing that it got better in many ways. “One day, two agents came to the house, your Mama and Uncle Pete. They had to find something that was hurting people. It hurt my dad and Emily had to tell him that her real name was Helena.” She went into great detail, eventually drawing a wan smile from her friend as she described her kidnap and subsequent rescue. She was sill proud of herself for escaping her bonds and being prepared to attack her captor even while she had been terrified.

“Mama left?” Christina asked, unable to comprehend a scenario where her parents were not joined at the hip by choice. “And Mummy stayed?”

“Not for long. Daddy wasn’t very happy about the lies or about me being in danger. I think he must have argued a lot with your Mummy,” she added uncomfortably. “She moved to her own house after that. Closer to your Mama I think. Daddy was cross for a while and then sad. He said lots of things about it to my Aunt Liz,” she admitted.

As the story came to an end, Christina realised that her heart was beating overly fast and took a minute to remember Abigail’s breathing technique while she processed all of this information. She had never before considered how her parents knew Adelaide or her father but if she had had to guess, she would have thought it was through hunting for an artefact. The truth was rather more confusing and began to trigger a multitude of questions as to her own whereabouts at the time.

How long had her Mummy been living in the future before her parents recovered her from that strange place in Paris? She didn’t recall having been there long and had never given it much thought but Mummy had said it was part of the magic so she wouldn’t miss her family. She always assumed that her mother’s journey had been the same, but it sounded like the older time traveller arrived earlier.

“You’re not upset with my Mummy?” Christina eventually asked.

Adelaide shook her head. “I was sad when she had to leave; Helena’s lots of fun to have around. But she’s happier with Myka, I’ve got you now and Daddy has a new girlfriend who seems to like him a lot. So we all have a happy ending, right?”

It took a moment for dark eyes to lose the shadow that hung over them and to shine with their usual joie de vivre. Though many questions remained at the back of her mind, the young Brit found her friend’s positivity infectious and smiled in agreement. She was going to have a long talk with her parents once they were home but in the meantime, she had a party to enjoy.

* * * * *

Deep in the aisles of a certain mystical building in South Dakota, Agent Coombs wandered the shelves casually, taking stock of the items around her and occasionally pausing to read the manifest on some of the more interesting members amongst them.

Though her colleagues complained endlessly over the task of taking inventory, even that kiss-ass Jason, Meghan actually found herself enjoying it most days. It gave her time away from the other agents when she was feeling crowded and since training with Leena to hone her skills, she no longer struggled with the overwhelming intensity of some of the more powerful artefacts.

After a rocky start, she was beginning to feel more at home and perhaps part of that had something to do with not having the uppity Brit around. Maybe it was instinct or a genetic predisposition to dislike the English woman on principal; her family way back had suffered under England’s long-armed rule for many years before America’s independence and HG’s attitude made her think of how those rich upper-class must have lived while they exploited so many. Or perhaps it was the fact that this living historical figure was clearly unstable and everyone pandered to her needs almost as if they were afraid that she would explode, even as they continued to let her roam free.

She supposed she had noticed some effort on the Brit’s part to seek professional help, and she knew from experience that Abigail was good at getting to the heart of issues.

... Perhaps _her_ issue simply stemmed from the fact that this arrogant woman had sought to kill her and almost every other person on the planet simply because she was in pain and had the means. Why should she be so ready to forgive that?

Her wandering took her as far as the bronze sector as it often did when she was alone and she stood for several minutes just staring at the statues there. One in particular, which was standing separate from the others and was adorned with a monitor and several sparkly accessories that Agent Donovan had likely added over time.

Something strange emanated from the young figure; an energy that Agent Coombs could not place and yet she was certain that she had encountered its ilk before. It put her on edge but drew her in at the same time.

Unbeknownst to her colleagues, she had begun her own investigation to find a link. Somewhere in this endless place, she knew was the source of that disturbance, and she was going to find it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next... Ice skating, a little scare and HG coming clean!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting another update in earlier than usual 'cause I'm stuck in the house with a cold and I needed a little pick me up. Plus, this next chapter is one of my favourites!  
> Thanks as always to those who took the time to comment/give kudos.  
> A mostly fluffy chapter but a sprinkling of angst. A bit of teasing too for the KAG fans out there!

“Is she our mole?” Head regent, Adwin Kosan asked the room as he stared into a silver bowl of moving water, into the heart of Warehouse 13.

“Possibly,” an unassuming voice answered from nearby. Irene Fredrick had on her usual skirt suit, today in light blue, and held a clutch under her arm. “Though there could be many other reasons that drive her to unexpected places so often. We must be careful not to jump to conclusions. She is certainly not the only one amongst us who often strays,” she added and waved a hand over the bowl to cycle through all the other agents who frequently took it upon themselves to go walkabout.

“Agent Wickes seems to be the only one amongst them who sticks to the rules most of the time,” Jane Lattimer observed from her position. She shook her head in exasperation and tried not to smile as she watched her son fumble several items in quick succession.

“But as Irene so rightly pointed out,” a fourth voice added his two-cents. “We can’t afford to jump to conclusions. Any one of them, even the ones we trust the most, they are all subject to outside influence, even if it is not through choice.”

“We will continue to observe,” the caretaker said calmly as she waved her hand again and the water became still. “It is not yet time to concern ourselves with an attack. Whatever information our mole gleans, they will not have much longer to do so. As Regent Heath so rightly reminds us, they are all vulnerable to manipulation and we will not prevent what is to come by acting prematurely.

Jane stared hard at her colleagues and finally fixed her grey-gaze on Mrs Fredrick. “You’re sure the Warehouse is preparing to move then?”

“And you don’t know where?” Mr Heath added.

“I am almost certain that it will move this year.” Irene assured them with her tirelessly even tone. “But no, I do not know where it intends to take us. Miss Donovan will likely join us while she becomes initiated and then I intend to end my tenure to live out the remainder of my natural life. It has been on hold for far too long already.”

“You have served the Warehouse well, Irene, and you shall be sorely missed,” Mr Kosan remarked as he led them from the secure room and through a maze of walkways before they reached a crossroads and paused. “Our agents are not likely to take the news well. I suggest that we allow Ms Cho to discuss their options with them closer to the time, though with Agents Bering and Wells so intimately linked to our future survival, I think it inevitable that we will retain their services in some capacity.”

“They will need a lot of reassurance. I imagine Agent Donovan will be willing to keep them informed of any updates regarding their package,” the newest of their party suggested, thinking as his colleagues were about the protests that were likely to come. “And of course, we want to know how little Miss Wells’ training is progressing.”

“Her siblings’ too, in time,” the forbidding former agent chipped in. “Though I don’t suggest you tell any of _them_ that. I know if we were talking about my granddaughter, I wouldn’t be discussing her future with us so lightly.”

Regent Heath flushed slightly as he realised how his enthusiasm must have sounded. “Good point,” he answered.

Jane and Don took separate paths as they bid their farewells and Adwin stepped onto the centre walkway with Irene beside him. They strolled shoulder to shoulder for several metres before the head regent inclined his head forward and began to speak in a hushed tone.

“Our legacy stirs, Irene. Are you sure we shouldn’t inform agents Wells and Bering of their presence in the Warehouse? It may put their minds at ease,” he suggested softly.

Mrs Fredrick sighed, appearing to struggle over her answer for a moment. “It may also make them too complacent. Besides, they cannot make contact with one another yet. The timing must be right. No, they’re better off not knowing, for now.” She turned to him as they neared the exit and he stopped just ahead of her.

“I meant what I said, you truly will be missed, Irene,” Mr Kosan repeated his earlier comment, his eyes showing a depth of feeling that he usually kept a tight lid on.

“Do you not trust my replacement to do as good a job?” she teased, eyes pinning the man over the rim of her glasses.

Adwin deliberated as he pictured the young red head, who he had contact with only on rare occasions. “She has fire, that’s for sure. But none of your discipline.”

The caretaker chuckled. “Be glad you didn’t know me when I first started,” she joked. Watching him carefully, she waited until his attention drifted elsewhere before making her customary exit.

As the head regent opened his mouth to add his farewell for this occasion, his gaze fell on an empty space. Mouth snapping shut, he smiled. Head held high, he pushed the latch on the door and immediately stepped into a stream of busy shoppers.

* * * * *

“We’re going to be late,” Myka fretted as she directed her fiancée onto the interstate and checked her watch for the hundredth time that morning.

Helena bit her tongue to prevent the teasing comment on its tip from tumbling out. She could see that Myka was not in the mood to find the situation funny and didn’t want to create any more tension.

“If we are late, darling, it will not be by much and we called ahead to let them know. Christina said she understood,” HG reminded her harried partner. “She was also adamant that I was to take extra special care of you. More so than usual now that I think on it.” Her thoughts drifted for a moment before she snapped back to the present and placed a hand on the brunette’s knee. “What happened to cause this morning’s delay couldn’t be helped. Least of all by you.”

“I should’ve known they were Braxton Hicks. I’ve read about them a dozen times or more.” She knew she was being stubborn over this point but the overall emotional upheaval of the morning, Christina sounding subdued over the phone last night, another sporadic night’s sleep and now the guilt of almost breaking her promise to their daughter, she knew if she let go of her anger at herself, she would dissolve into tears.

She was upset and irritated over having spent three hours in hospital, afraid that she was going into labour too soon, only to be told that it wasn’t real. She felt embarrassed for having wasted the professionals’ time but on top of that, she was now terrified of actually giving birth. Those had only been practise pains!? Having thought that she had prepared herself to handle it when the contractions did arrive, she felt like she was back at square one again.

Respecting her lover’s self-imposed silence, Helena picked a soothing classical album from her collection and popped it in the machine. She turned the sound down low and drove to within a mile of their destination before she pulled over and turned the engine off.

“Helena, we’re not there yet,” Myka complained, her irritation resurfacing immediately.

“Darling, I know you despise being late for anything, but you will only kick yourself more if you turn up to a nine-year-old’s birthday party full of anger.” Helena watched her partner’s wall begin to crack and knew just where to tap to bring it crashing down. She felt horrible for doing it but she knew that Myka would thank her for it later. “Whatever is going on in our daughter’s head at the moment, you know you don’t want the first she sees of us to appear as if we’ve been at odds.”

That did it. The carefully built damn the expectant mother had constructed around her emotions burst, a sob breaking through and followed by a flood of tears. She fumbled with her belt, her fingers shaking before she found calm hands setting her free and pulling her into a warm embrace. She wasn’t sure how long Helena held her before her shaking stopped but her head remained buried between neck and shoulder for several long breaths before she could find the strength to raise it.

“Better, love?” HG wondered cautiously. She hated to see her partner cry but loved to see the light reappear in those green eyes once she was done.

Myka sniffed, found a tissue and nodded as she blew her nose. “For now,” she answered and gestured to the road while reaching for her belt.

The inventor knew better than to argue and within a couple of minutes of being back on the road, she found herself pulling into a space at the ice-rink and offering her partner a hand to help her out of the car. She clicked her key-fob to lock the vehicle but before she could move anywhere, felt strong arms holding her back. Automatically, she turned to fall into a hug.

“Thank you, Helena,” Myka whispered softly into the shell of an ear. “You’re always coming to my rescue, even when it’s from myself.”

Swallowing a lump that she hadn’t realised was there, HG was lost for words for several seconds. “I made good time on the interstate. I may have broken a few speed restrictions so we’re only a tad late,” she offered eventually.

“I know, honey. I don’t encourage speeding but I appreciate what you were trying to do.” Myka kissed her fiancée soundly and then took her arm. “Shall we head inside?”

“Let’s,” Helena smiled, glad to see her lover looking happier.

The kids were all on the ice by the time they entered and Myka felt a pang of disappointment as she realised she’d missed what she had been secretly calling ‘Christina’s first steps’ in her head. Summoning an air of acceptance from somewhere, she walked with Helena close to where there was a bunch of party stuff and leant against the barrier to look for their child.

It was as they searched, unease growing when they couldn’t spot Christina anywhere, that a cry of recognition came from behind them and they found their daughter charging towards them, skates in hand.

The grinning figure plonked her skates on a nearby chair and wrapped her arms as far as she could reach around Myka’s waist. “Are you alright, Mama? Is Freddy ok?”

Myka eyed a plastic spectator’s seat, trying to decide if it would hold her weight. Thinking that it was probably safe, she lowered herself into it and pulled her daughter close. “We’re fine, Sweetheart. Like Mummy told you earlier, it was just a false alarm; my body trying to get ready for when your brother is.” She noticed her little girl’s eyes twitch towards Helena but Christina’s had yet to turn to greet the inventor. Was that from this morning or part of last night’s issue? The shadow over her fiancée’s gaze told her that Helena could feel the cold shoulder she was being subjected to. “So why are you not on the ice with everyone else?” she asked as she put aside other matters for a moment.

“I wanted you to be here when I started,” Christina replied as if there had been no question of her making a move without the agent there. “And you have to teach me how to lace my skates properly.”

Myka swallowed the sob that jumped into her throat but couldn’t stop the wide smile that lit her features or the tears that filled her eyes. She took the skates in hand and tapped her knee. “Left foot please,” she smiled, full of pride and anticipation for this moment.

The skates were typical hire quality, robust but clunky, heavy and probably not very comfortable. She talked the nine-year-old through the lacing steps, explaining why they needed to be tighter in some places and looser in others. She imagined how it might be at the end of the summer when they could go out on the ice together and thought that they could invest in some leather skates if Christina decided that this was a hobby she wanted to stick with. Myka was fairly certain that her old pair were still at her parents’ home somewhere. She would have to ask her mother next time they spoke.

Helena shared a look with her fiancée as Myka held Christina’s hand, guiding her towards the rink. Taking her phone from her pocket, she accessed the camera function and switched it to video. Several short clips later, as her battery slipped into the red, she wiped a tear from her cheek and turned away from the scene.

She spotted Nate with a group of other parents, briefly taking note of the buxom red head who hung on his every word, occasionally touching his arm. _Must be Kirsty,_ she thought to herself and smiled at the expression of contentment on her ex’s face.

Recognising one or two of the parents, she wondered how much Nate had told them of her departure from his life. Drawing in a steadying breath, she focussed on her need to investigate her daughter’s strange mood and wandered over to join the adults.

“Helena,” Nate greeted once the Brit was close enough. “I see you made it at last. How’s Myka?”

“Shaken,” the inventor replied. His genuine concern for her partner put her a little more at ease and she relaxed slightly. “Some things I don’t believe we truly appreciate until we experience them. The contractions took her by surprise this morning.”

He nodded, his hand falling to his companion’s lower back as he appeared to drift into a memory. “Lucy was the same with Adelaide,” he referred to his late wife with a tender tone. “I didn’t think I could feel so helpless before then. Of course, that was before actually having a baby to look after,” he added with an amused huff.

“I sympathise,” Helena said, her head turning to catch sight of her fiancée who was walking the perimeter of the rink, talking their daughter through her first time on the ice while Adelaide and various other more skilled children whizzed past. “I’ve experienced it first hand and I still felt helpless this morning.”

Nate nodded his understanding and then turned to the woman beside him. “Helena, this is Kirsty. She made Adelaide’s cake. She was excited about being able to make it today to get the birthday girl’s opinion.”

“And I’m sure that light in her eyes has nothing to do with seeing you, Nate,” she teased. Recognising that he was nervous, Helena put on her most charming smile and held her hand out to greet the red head properly. “Another chef in the making? By the looks of that masterpiece over there, I’ll wager you’re a damn sight better than me in the kitchen. Unless of course you want things to explode?”

“I love cooking,” Kirsty replied, sounding a little nervous herself. “And eating,” she added, rolling her eyes and gesturing to her hour-glass figure as if the statement was self evident. “I think Adelaide’s exact words were ‘that’s awesome’, so I’m sure that’s a big thumbs up.”

“I’ve not known her to mince her words often so I believe we can safely assume that she approves.” Taking a breath, she continued before anyone could comment further. “I’m awfully sorry to have to ask, darling, but may I borrow Nate for a quick chat? I have reason to believe that I’m in the ‘dog house’ with my daughter and he may be able to shed light on my predicament.”

Nate’s serious expression belayed his knowledge of the subject and he placed a reassuring kiss on his girlfriend’s lips before following the Brit to a space a few yards away.

“Something happened last night,” Helena jumped in immediately, her arms halfway crossed over her stomach, hands resting lightly on her elbows. Her tone was almost accusing, but directed mostly at herself. She had a hunch that she knew what he was about to say.

He scratched his chin and sighed. “After... everything that went down last year, my sister visited a lot and I didn’t have many good things to say about you. Apparently, my niece, Jenny, had a few things to say to Christina last night. Adelaide had to fill in the blanks.”

HG clenched her teeth and ran a hand through her hair as she closed her eyes. “Lord,” she cursed and shook her head.

Nate watched her reaction with a perverse mixture of satisfaction and sympathy. A small part of him still resented her lies but he couldn’t help the fondness that remained either. “You didn’t tell her...”

“What? That she died?” Helena hissed, her anger beginning to get the better of her. “That I was desperately seeking... something while I mourned her absence?”

“That you did your best to continue to live while she wasn’t there?” he offered with compassion, effectively diluting her distress. “I’m not going to pretend to understand your life, Helena. I understand that you were trying to leave all the complications behind when you fell into _my_ life. But it’s obvious that you belong to whatever weirdness follows you around and if I’m reading things right, Christina is a part of that. She deserves to know some details.”

Helena’s right hand covered her mouth, fingers shaking against her lips. Those same fingers graduated to her hairline again and dragged through inky locks, never once snagging from root to end. “I hate it when you’re right,” she murmured as she left his company and made her way back to the barrier around the ice-rink.

Myka sat, captivated by the sight of her daughter’s Bambi-like movements as she left the safety of the barrier and wind-milled her way to the flow of bodies near the centre of the rink. She felt more than saw Helena’s return. Her hand reached out automatically to find the digits that slid along hers. “She’s a natural,” she commented with pride. “Did you find anything?”

Helena took a few moments to watch her pride and joy find her feet on the slippery surface while she organised her wayward thoughts. “She knows about Nate and me,” she answered succinctly.

“Ah,” Myka added, understanding the whole picture with those few words. “I take it she interrogated Adelaide after hearing something you were hoping she wouldn’t?”

“Myka...”

“She’s just like you... like us,” Agent Bering began to explain. “She was bound to find out something sooner or later, and just like us, she won’t rest until she has what she wants.”

“Bollocks,” HG muttered to the floor. Leaning close to her partner, she kissed the curve of a jaw. “Remind me why I was ecstatic to discover that she shared your DNA?”

Myka recognised the teasing and turned to meet soft lips. “Because you love me,” she answered, not the least bit offended by her lover’s words.

Helena enjoyed the few minutes she had to absorb her fiancée’s scent and enjoy a rare moment in public to demonstrate her devotion to this incredible woman. Far from forgetting the fix she was in, the inventor settled next to Myka, an arm around her shoulder, lips at her ear, while they enjoyed the sight of their daughter’s growing confidence. When the kids were signalled off the ice for cake-cutting, Myka called Christina over and kissed the top of her head before leaving her alone with Helena.

Ignoring the fact that the nine-year-old’s eyes were avoiding hers, HG knelt in front of her child and placed her hands on the girl’s elbows. “Christina,” she began softly. “I know you are not best pleased with me at present, and I promise that I will answer your questions as well I as I am able, once we are home, but right now, I expect a proper greeting.” A tentative grin played at the corner of her mouth. “Kiss me or I will tickle you until you can’t stand,” she threatened playfully.

Christina’s mouth too turned up at the corners, her efforts to prevent a grin in vain. She hesitated only a moment before she threw her arms around the inventor’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Hello, Mum... May I have cake now?” she asked cheekily.

Helena’s eyes narrowed, not only at the attitude, but the change in address. She reserved her opinions for now though and found ticklish spots with her fingers to elicit a series of wriggling giggles. “Go. Eat cake,” she offered and freed the girl from her grip. They grinned at one another before Christina turned and clonked her way across the solid floor towards the rest of the youthful gathering.

* * * * *

Keys jangled in the door as a tired family arrived home the next day after spending another night in Wyoming and driving through most of the afternoon. Helena placed hers and Myka’s bags near the bottom of the stairs and instructed her daughter to do the same before heading to the kitchen to put the kettle on for a much needed cup of tea.

 

Though she hadn’t taken over much of the driving, Myka felt her exhaustion fill her body and collapsed on the couch with Christina by her side. A heavy head fell against her shoulder and she pushed her fingers into soft waves as a small hand played with the hem of her oversized t-shirt.

“Did you enjoy your weekend at Adelaide’s?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes,” Christina offered softly. “We watched Ice Princess last night and threw all of our blankets on the settee so we could sleep there. Addy found some tent poles and we made a den.” With just her best friend beside her, she had found that she was more easily distracted and less prone to slipping into her own thoughts. Despite the emotional turmoil of the weekend, she had enjoyed herself a lot.

“I’m glad you had fun.” They could hear Helena in the kitchen, a teaspoon clinking against the rim of the cups and Myka knew she would return in a minute or two. “Sweetheart, I know you want to ask Mummy lots of questions but please try not to be too hard on her. It’s not an easy subject for her to talk about.”

Christina’s dark eyes squared on her American mother’s, her thoughts unreadable. “She made you sad, Mama. Adelaide and her daddy were sad too.”

At that moment, Helena entered the room and it was clear from her expression that she had overheard their daughter’s last comment. She placed their drinks on the coffee table - tea for her and Myka, and milk for the nine-year-old. Squeezing in beside the young girl, the inventor pulled the small body into her lap and shuffled into position.

“What do you wish to know, love?” she directed at her daughter, having decided that the best way forward was to let Christina lead with her questions.

The girl’s gaze dropped to her lap for a long moment as she considered what she wanted to know. “You said that I travelled through time in the cartouche,” she began carefully. “I don’t remember it all but I wasn’t sad. I knew you would find me.” She noticed the sudden influx of tears in her mother’s eyes and pressed on, almost whispering her theory, “But _you_ didn’t know... Did you.”

It was said as more of a statement than a question, as if the girl had made her mind up on this point and HG wasn’t sure whether to be proud of her daughter’s deductive reasoning or concerned that she would figure too much out before she was ready to understand and process it.

Helena bit her lip, wrestling with the wobble that threatened to capture it. She shook her head, her voice heavy but stubbornly steady, as she answered, “No. I was allowed an alternate method of travel and I... I did not...” She struggled with the words to complete her thought. _I thought you were lost to me forever,_ her heart cried.

“How long were you awake before you found me?” the girl wondered aloud.

Elegant fingers reached to stroke a soft cheek. “Approximately two years,” HG answered, deciding that ‘awake’ was a relative term in her case and choosing to interpret the girl’s meaning as ‘mobile’.

Innocent features pulled into a deeper frown. She remembered a time when her Mummy had gone away on business for weeks at a time but she had always known that she was coming back and they would spend every waking moment together afterwards. What would it feel like, to be apart from either of her parents for years, without knowing if she would ever see them again? “Why didn’t you know where to find me?”

Feeling that half-truths were her only way through this conversation safely, Helena wracked her brain for the best way to phrase her answer. “I was not told that you were there. Until Myka found herself pulled in with you, I was unaware of your location. I am not certain that anyone knew you were there, save perhaps the Warehouse. As it turned out, fate seemed intent on bringing us together.” She smiled a little at that thought, the gesture chasing away some of the shadow behind her little girl’s expression.

Myka held her tongue, but couldn’t help feeling slightly uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. Helena was good at not telling complete lies but the evasion reminded her too much of the early days, with HG Wells as the new agent who had deceived them all with her tall tales and misdirection. She was on the fence with her opinion of how well Christina would handle the bare truth so she was letting Helena take the lead, but that didn’t mean the alternative sat well with her.

The comment about the Warehouse knowing though, reminded her that their lives were tangled in a web of tragedies and miracles. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing to want their daughter to enjoy being a child for as long as possible before destiny dropped whatever it had in store onto her small shoulders.

“Will you tell me the story about you going to live with Adelaide?” Christina finally responded as she laid her head on the Brit’s shoulders and held her Mama’s gaze.

Myka smiled encouragingly at the two figures next to her. She reached a hand out to grasp two petite feet and pulled them into her lap. “Do you think Mummy could manage to make it sound like a fairy tale?”

“Like one of my story books?”

Christina’s eyes lit up at the suggestion as Myka had hoped they would and Helena smiled though she threw her fiancée a look that seemed offended by the insinuation that she might not be able to manage the style of retelling.

“Very well,” HG began, rising to the challenge as she took a second to decide how to start.

**“Once upon a time, a foolish knight named... Henrietta thought to bend the world to her whim – with science as her companion, grief as her motivation and mystical trinkets as her weapons, she betrayed friend and foe alike in an effort to reach her goal; to avenge the darling daughter she could not bear to be without and find peace in oblivion.**

**“Her heart blackened from years of anguish, she thought it irrevocably damaged. Certain that she could never feel love again; she sought company for her misery and found herself in the arms of an enchanting young maiden.**

**“Hair a mass of untameable curls, wild, unapologetic but soft to the touch, and shining with flecks of gold in the light of the sun; skin warm and yielding; lips irresistible and inviting, words of defiance, intelligence and compassion spilling from their borders; eyes captivating in their intensity, crystal green boring into the knight’s cold heart, searching for warmth - she was more beautiful than Henrietta had ever seen.**

**“The enchantress’ name was Michaela.”**

Helena paused to gauge the reactions of her lover and their daughter. She was trying not to hide or excuse her own mistakes but as the story came alive in her head, it felt natural to include the reasons behind her actions. Her motivations. But was it too much? Too dark? Myka’s eyes appeared to approve but it was Christina who spoke up.

“Why did you stop, Mummy? It’s good, keep going,” the nine-year-old encouraged.

There was a part of the girl that already wept inwardly for the knight. Knowing that the character was based on her mother, she couldn’t help imagining the pain she had felt that blackened her heart and stopped her feeling able to love. She also knew that the story had to have a happy ending though because they were all sitting together now. Mummy’s stories were always worth listening to, even if they were sad and scary in places. Plus, she really did want to know what had happened before they were reunited.

HG smiled and kissed the top of Christina’s head. “Very well...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on HG's story telling are more than welcome! (And anything else you care to share.)  
> Stay tuned for the rest of HG's story...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update! :-D
> 
> Continues right after the last chapter...

_HG smiled and kissed the top of Christina’s head. “Very well...”_

**“Michaela lived and worked in a mystical palace. Aided by her fellow seekers and led by a grumpy ogre, she sought to find lost treasures across the land and return them to the safe confides of the palace’s magical walls. She opened her heart to the wandering knight and begged the keepers of the palace to offer the stranger sanctuary. Trusting the enchantress’ judgement, they agreed and so it was that the knight came to live with the seekers.**

**“Time moved strangely for the knight inside those walls. Caught up in her thoughts, plotting and scheming, imagining the day that she would finally be free of her pain - days passed in the blink of an eye, leaving her reeling, dizzy with the knowledge of her evil deeds. Yet, in Michaela’s welcome embrace, minutes became hours, time almost seeming to pause as a forgotten sensation pulled at her chest.**

**“Unbeknownst to Henrietta, the endless time spent in darkness and isolation could not entirely harden her heart and, ever so gradually, the ice around it began to melt.**

**“Now, you might be thinking that this should be enough for our tragic knight; that she should realise her mistakes, confess all to the beautiful enchantress and beg forgiveness, but life is rarely so kind. Henrietta stubbornly refused to acknowledge that she could salvage anything worth keeping from her soul. Believing herself too damaged and too far gone for redemption, she ignored the soft fluttering in her chest and followed through with her devious plan.**

**“Grief had blinded her to the world. Beneath the weight of her daughter’s absence, she could not see how her presence lit up the world for others. Could not see that her light was the force that put the gold in her beloved’s hair or the sparkle in her green eyes. Could not see that her arms made the enchantress feel safe at night or that her kisses pushed the other woman’s heart to beat faster... For her.**

**“Not until it was too late.”**

As Helena’s story continued to unfold, Christina kept her eyes closed against her mother’s neck while her fingers bunched through the fabric of a cotton shirt. She was entranced by the tale of the knight and the enchantress but a part of her just really wanted to get to the happy ending. Knowing that her parents had been so sad made her tummy clench in a way that she really didn’t like.

Myka’s hands played lightly with her daughter’s feet, which she’d tucked under a blanket to keep warm. She was keeping an eye on the girl’s expression as the story unfolded and so far, she didn’t appear to be too distressed. A small crease sat permanently between her eyebrows but the way Helena was telling their story gave it a distance that they all needed.

Both listeners knew where the story would end and they remained fixated on the inventor’s words.

**“In her madness, the knight sought to destroy the world that kept her in a cycle of pain. Seconds away from plunging all life into her darkness, a figure appeared before her.**

**“Refusing to believe that Henrietta was beyond feeling compassion, Michaela begged the knight to remember who she really was beneath the hurt. The enchantress looked deep into her dark eyes and found the struggling heart. She wrapped her hands around it and breathed life back into its flesh, crushing anger with her touch, rescuing Henrietta from her madness and bringing her to her knees.**

**“With the magic of Michaela’s good deed thrumming through her veins, Henrietta finally saw her actions in a new light. Horrified by the realisation of what she’d tried to do, she allowed the palace guards to take her without resistance. As the carriage departed, bound for a place unknown, she watched her beloved and knew that instead of ending her own suffering, she had seeded it within another.**

**“Guilt became the knight’s companion for many weeks. From her prison, the guards allowed her the occasional glimpse of life at the palace with the use of a magic mirror. It showed her the people she had betrayed and the woman who continued to hold her heart.**

**“For the once forgotten organ beat steadily now and she felt its warmth both as a comfort and a means of torture. To feel love again but be unable to hold the one who fuelled its rhythm was a bitter sweetness. Time and again, the enchantress’ eyes met hers with anger, with sadness, with sympathy and eventually with acceptance.**

**“Henrietta knew as she watched, that Michaela, in her infinite kindness, would eventually forgive her. She felt unworthy of the love she still saw in those green eyes and knew that no matter what happened, she could never forgive herself.**

**“She could never let herself get close enough to hurt her beloved again.”**

“Mummy,” Christina’s scratchy voice uttered from beneath the inventor’s chin, halting the story. “Henrietta can’t be trapped in prison too long. Isn’t Michaela going to rescue her? They love each other,” she insisted.

Realising that her story was touching uncomfortable emotions for her daughter, Helena swallowed, pulled her into a tighter embrace and pressed her lips to the girl’s forehead. “Christina, I’m trying to make this as easy as possible,” she began carefully. “You want to know more about what happened before you came back into my life and I understand that thirst for knowledge, but it was a difficult time, for myself and Myka. I, especially, made many decisions that do not appear in the best light in hind sight.” She stroked dark locks behind a delicate ear and exchanged a worried glance with her fiancée. “Love, do you want me to stop now and carry on tomorrow night?”

“No!” came the nine-year-old’s immediate response before her tone quietened. “No. Please, Mummy, finish the story?”

The elder Brit knew that it was probably best to get it all out in one evening and seeing the pleading expression in her baby’s eyes helped to confirm this, but the part of her that wanted to protect the girl from every little hurt began to wish that she’d never started.

Myka’s hand on her knee brought her gaze up to meet her lover’s and an encouraging smile stared back at her.

“Keep going, Helena. I want to hear the happy ending too.”

“Very well. Where was I?”

“Henrietta realised that she loved Michaela but stubbornly decided to keep it to herself,” Myka summarised with a slight smirk.

Thankful for the teasing, HG leant over to meet a much-needed kiss, letting their lips linger for a moment before she resumed her position. “Righty-ho then...”

**“Months crawled by and Henrietta began to live for the moments when she could use the magic mirror to aid her former friends. Gone were the schemes and plots, the ideas of a world reborn; replaced by a seed of something noble – a desire to share her knowledge and skills for the benefit of the seekers’ crusade; a need to be the person Michaela saw in her and the woman her daughter had known many years ago.**

**“Though she itched to be free once more, to use her new found motivations for a higher purpose, she made time to quiet her mind, develop her patience and hone her skills. One day, she knew, they might need her for more than her mind, and she was determined not to let them down again.**

**“Before long, that day arrived. Stolen from her cage by an agent of pure evil, she stepped forth boldly, heart beating wildly with fear and anticipation, but ready to fight for what was right.**

**“Many days of battle commenced, blood spilt on both sides until her captor forced her to re enter the palace walls and brought her face to face with the seekers and her beloved enchantress.**

**“Bewitched to perform to her captor’s wishes, she had no choice but to act on Evil’s whims and found herself trading blows with her former friends. However, though her body moved against her will, her mind continued to search for control, waging an inner war against the magic in her veins. With every ounce of strength, powered by her love for Michaela, she broke free at last. Searching through the thick fog that appeared suddenly amidst the fighting and fallen, Henrietta followed her heart and soon found her beloved locked in battle with Evil.**

**“Joining the fray, the once misguided knight fought hard, every swing of her sword finding a weakness in Evil’s armour and breaking it apart. The dark entity recovered swiftly from her onslaught however and immediately sought to exploit _her_ weakness – Michaela.**

**“Henrietta watched in horror as Evil raised its hand to unleash a deadly spell on the enchantress. She leapt into action. Moving as though through tar, her limbs pushed her into the path of the dark magic and she buckled as its power struck her chest. Knees crashed into the marble floor as a hand gripped the wound and a scream filled the air.”**

Helena felt Christina shudder in her arms and cursed herself for getting carried away with the tale... again. “Love, are you alright? I’m sorry, I’m making this story too dramatic,” she admonished herself.

“It’s brilliant,” the unexpected reply came as the girl realised that her mother had stopped again. “You’re using metaphor, aren’t you, Mummy?”

A tiny smile lightened a worried gaze. “Yes,” the inventor answered slowly.

“I understand.” Christina’s head rose to stare intently into her mother’s dark eyes. “It’s scary and sad and exciting,” she admitted. “But that’s what makes a really good story. This one’s even better because you and Mama are the heroes!”

Helena hesitated and took a deep breath. “You have to promise to stop me if it gets too much.”

“I will,” the nine-year-old said without preamble and dropped her head back onto the warm shoulder.

**“It was Michaela’s scream which rent the air and Henrietta felt her beloved’s strong arms pull her into a tight embrace, a hand laid over the knight’s heart.**

**“Thinking its foe beaten, evil left the dais upon which it stood and disappeared into the fog. It did not anticipate its victim following behind. Could not appreciate the power of Michaela’s devotion to keep Henrietta’s heart beating and growing stronger. Strong enough to struggle to her feet, sword in hand. Under cover of the mystical curtain, she raised the weapon above her head, gaze intent on her enemy’s neck as she brought the blade down, slicing through the air and severing the head of darkness.**

**“She let the sword clatter to the ground and stood, panting. As the fog began to clear and the voices of her comrades in arms approached, she recalled the promise she had made to herself to protect her love. Before the air could clear completely, Henrietta was gone.**

**“Though she reported to her jailers and begged them to incarcerate her once more for her past crimes, they denied her request, informing her that she had served her sentence and proven to them that she was reformed. Instead, they asked for her help. A mission of utmost importance to hide a dangerous treasure from the seekers - they sent her to a land far away. A land from which she intended never to return.**

**“Forcing herself to forget any link to her palace contacts, the knight pushed her love for Michaela into a tight compartment, deep inside her heart and locked it down. Embracing a false identity, Henrietta settled in her new home and began to assume the life of a commoner.**

**“As the weeks passed her by, she fell into a routine. With time, it was easier to forget that she missed her former life. Easier to believe that she was not missed and that the enchantress was free to find true happiness now, without her there as a reminder of their time together.**

**“Eventually, her path crossed with a widower and his daughter. Choosing to believe that his appearance was a sign that leaving the palace had been the right decision, she continued to play her new role and found that his attachment to her grew quickly. It was, however, his daughter who truly drew her into his life and into his home. So much like her own dear child, this motherless girl touched her damaged heart and gave her renewed purpose.”**

Christina’s head lifted gradually from its resting place and she frowned at the inventor. “You wanted to be Addy’s mum?” This was the point in the story that she had been initially interested in but now that they had reached it, the nine-year-old wasn’t sure how she felt about her mother loving her best friend as a daughter.

Helena searched her little girl’s expression and cupped her cheeks. Her insides squirmed with a need to break from this torture and let all of her bottled up anguish out, but she forced it down, refusing to lose it in front of Christina. “I wanted you, love.” Her words were tense with the effort it took to hold the tears back. The feel of Myka’s hands stroking her knee and the small of her back helped, but it was mostly the complete trust she found in dark eyes that gave her the strength to carry on. “I did not believe that I would see you again. I had lost hope. It seemed natural to give that love to another who needed it.”

After a moment, the wavy-haired girl responded, “I’m glad you helped her. Addy does love you, Mummy.” The conflict in her tone belayed the battle between her thoughts and feelings; her love for her mother and her love for her friend.

“As I do her, my darling,” Helena admitted readily. “Though there is no one who could take your place in my heart, I believe that Adelaide helped to heal a part of me that was broken for a very long time after you and I were separated.”

This news brought a smile back to Christina’s features again and some of the tension left her small frame. “She told me that Mama and Uncle Pete came to find you. Is that what comes next in the story?”

“You wish for me to continue, still?” HG asked doubtfully.

“Mm-hm,” the girl nodded. “I want to get to the best part.”

Myka forced a smile too and drew Christina’s attention away from her fiancée for a moment so that the inventor could catch her breath. “And what would the ‘best part’ be exactly? You know it isn’t long until dinner time. Mummy has to finish the story soon.”

“The happily ever after is the best part of course, Mama,” the nine-year-old declared as if there should be no question. “Henrietta and Michaela have to find the knight’s lost daughter, kiss and ride off into the sunset.”

Helena pursed her lips in thought. “Any suggestions on a name for the knight’s demanding daughter?” she asked teasingly.

Christina gave the question serious consideration before resuming her comfy position. “Josephine.”

**“The knight found contentment in her new position, the task of loving the little girl comforting and enough to persuade her that attempting to love the widower would grow easier with time. All she required was persistence, or so she believed.**

**“Little did she understand that, to him, she could never open her heart. The part she had locked away with her love for Michaela became a barrier, a means to protect her heart from the effects of her well-intentioned plan. Intelligent as the knight thought herself to be, it was many weeks before this truth became obvious to her.**

**“Life often throws obstacles in our way when we least expect it to. When we believe ourselves masters of our existence and comfortable in our roles, it spies the changes we require and thinks not of the things we believe we want.**

**“Henrietta discovered this late one afternoon when there came a knock on the widower’s door and she stood to answer it. Believing her location a secret, she did not expect the vision of beauty standing before her and felt her breath catch as the isolated part of her heart struggle to free itself.**

**“Afraid of bursting the bubble she had carefully constructed around her life, the knight begged Michaela to leave her be. In hiding herself away from the world, she had forgotten much of who she was at the palace and swore that she wanted nothing more to do with the world of treasure and adventure. Disappointed green eyes held pity for her in the wake of her denial but the enchantress adhered to her wishes and left the knight to her self-imposed mediocrity.**

**“She redoubled her efforts to fit into the widower’s home, to be the partner and mother needed, but it was too late; Michaela’s arrival proved to be the catalyst to bringing her newest failure to light. The seeker’s quest entangled the lives of the widower and his daughter, forcing Henrietta to reveal her true nature in order to protect them.**

**“Once the danger had passed and the smoke cleared, Michaela left. Her crystal tears belayed the words she used to give her blessing to the knight’s union with the widower, and Henrietta knew that her actions had not freed the enchantress from their love after all. Still, they parted once again, each believing that this time it might be for good.**

**“Events such as these create waves through the sea of life and not every person desires to ride with them. Though she possessed the skill, the knight found that her motivation to continue her life with the widower waned, and his enjoyment of her company soured with the knowledge of her deception.**

**“Despite her continued love for his daughter, she agreed that they should part ways and moved out of their home into a small cottage some distance away.**

**“There, in isolation, Henrietta began to reassess her life and her choices.**

**“Though alone again, her heart felt lighter and freer thanks to her time with her beloved and the widower’s daughter. If there ever came a time when her own daughter’s existence revealed itself to her, she would leap into action to recover her darling Josephine, but she was no longer consumed by the darkness that had filled her for years and in time, the unthinkable happened; she began to forgive herself.**

**“Guilt and shame remained constant companions but they faded slowly into the corners of the room until others could worm their way through her subconscious and make themselves known. Reason and hope began to visit regularly, their powerful words eroding the fortress around her love for Michaela, stone by stone.**

**“Fear joined the voices in the shadow and whispered words of caution and failure, but they were not as convincing as in the aftermath of her battle with Evil and she began to ignore them. In allowing her beloved to re-enter her waking thoughts, she remembered the warmth of the enchantress’ embrace and the kisses that had set her on fire. She began to consider a future where they were together and imagined how she might make amends for her unexplained disappearance.”**

Leaning forward to sip and wince at her now cold tea, Helena took a moment to check on Christina and found the girl staring at Myka. Her warm, brown eyes were filled with compassion and hope while a shy smile touched the corners of her mouth. Equally, Myka’s expression held their daughter captive with unconditional love and reassurance.

Knowing that her story threw her fiancée into the best light while her own character floundered in uncertainty, HG realised suddenly that she had created a real life heroine for her daughter. Perhaps this ‘fairy tale’ hadn't been such a bad idea after all. Christina appeared to be absorbing the changes in the story quite well and the happy conclusion she had asked for was close. The issues raised in the telling would take time to comprehend and the inventor anticipated more sessions with Abigail in the near future. She had managed to keep the true reason for the girl’s absence hidden in assumption so far and she took a breath as she prepared to bring her story to its end.

**“While Henrietta sat in her cottage, a new plan developing in her mind, the seekers continued their duties in collecting treasures and returning them to the palace.**

**“One quiet afternoon, as the knight was busy planning, a young seeker arrived at her door with terrible news. While searching for an elusive treasure, her beloved enchantress had mysteriously disappeared. The seekers were at a loss and begged Henrietta to aid them in their quest to find their friend.**

**“Terrified that she would lose Michaela, just as she was on the brink of returning to the palace, the knight gathered her belongings and joined the seekers. Travelling through the night, she sent a prayer to the heavens and stole herself for the struggle ahead.**

**“This distant land, far over a vast sea, was not unfamiliar to Henrietta. In fact, it was the very place where she had last heard word of her darling Josephine. Was this mere coincidence or was there more to Michaela’s disappearance than met the eye? The knight dared not think the question lest she began to hope, but in the deepest recesses of her mind, the idea persisted.**

**“Focussing on her given task, Henrietta slept and ate little, choosing to put all of her energy into finding clues. The skills she had buried during her time with the widower came rushing back and before long, she discovered Michaela’s location.**

**“Hidden from the world, a lost treasure lay in obscurity deep inside a dark cave, reachable only through miles of perilous forest. What dangers lay ahead, the knight cared not. Driven by her love, she led the party of seekers through swamp and fire, avoiding deadly traps and solving mind-crushing puzzles until eventually, they drew near.**

**“Exhausted by their adventure, the seekers set up camp near a river, intending to rest so that they could be battle ready for the following morning. The knight chaffed at the delay but reluctantly agreed to join them and before the moon was high in the sky, the party fell into an uneasy slumber.**

**“Henrietta knew not what woke her, but crept from camp in the early pre-dawn and wandered to the bank of the river. There, she paused and listened. On the breeze came the sound of oars lapping softly against water, the gentle rise and fall of a bow on strings and the mellifluous laughter of a child. A girl. Out from the morning mist emerged one figure, and then another. Both carried by the boat though neither attended the rowing. Watching in awe, the knight covered a gasp of shock as she recognised the occupants and waited for them to move closer.**

**“She did not ask how Michaela and Josephine had come to find one another or who had given them the boat. She merely offered her hand to help them onto the land and wordlessly drew them in her arms. Tears of joy ran down her face and she knew that she had no more need to run.**

**“After all of her struggles, she finally had what she desired most... Her family.”**

Christina’s eyes were closed as Helena came to the end of her story and soft breaths continued to brush against her neck. Running her fingers through her daughter’s hair, she kissed the top of her head and whispered her name. “Christina? Are you awake, love?” It was hard to imagine that the girl had fallen asleep after wanting so desperately to hear the whole tale, but it had been a long and eventful weekend.

Brown eyes blinked open in surprise and gazed up at her parents. “That’s it? That’s the end?” she asked, disappointment clear in her tone.

HG shared a relieved smile with her fiancée and loosened her hold to let her daughter sit up. “The end of the beginning perhaps.”

“So, you will make up some more?” Christina wondered hopefully. “Won’t you, Mummy? I would like to hear the rest of our story.”

“You know the rest, Sweetheart,” Myka reminded her, tickling the bottom of her feet.

The nine-year-old squirmed and giggled. “Yes, but I want to hear Mummy tell it!” she protested.

Helena melted at the expression of hope on her daughter’s face. It had taken about an hour to think her way through the short story and she was completely drained. Not even a year had passed since their reunion but there had been enough drama during that time to give her pause. Being unable to deny the girl though, she nodded slowly. “Not tonight though,” she warned before Christina could make herself comfortable again. “Give me chance to recover my breath, alright?”

The girl wrapped her arms around the inventor’s neck. “Thank you, Mummy. I’m ever so happy that you’re not sad anymore.”

After a few minutes watching Helena hold their daughter, Myka requested Christina’s help in the kitchen to start dinner, giving her partner a few minutes to gather herself following the emotional day. They cooked fusilli and smothered it in a pesto sauce (Myka’s latest craving), grated courgette into the mix and sprinkled bacon and cheese on top. All the while, Agent Bering kept a surreptitious eye on the girl, searching for any sign that she was upset after hearing of her parents’ difficult beginnings. She saw none. Though it was clear that the story had touched a deeply emotional part of her, she appeared to be taking it in her stride, almost bolstered by having the opportunity to make some sense of her arrival in the future.

At bedtime, Christina did the reading, choosing to finish The Railway Children before flopping onto her pillow and almost immediately yawning into semi-consciousness.

Myka had been expecting it - the stark silence from her partner while Helena got ready for bed on autopilot and held the reins of her overwhelmed emotions in a tight grasp. She didn’t attempt to say or do anything to force the inventor to share her thoughts, but as they crawled beneath the sheets, a physical distance separating them down the centre of the bed, Myka decided that she wouldn’t let it lie.

“I think you should text Abigail in the morning,” the brunette whispered into the dark, her fingers reaching farther than usual to brush raven locks from pale shoulders. “See what time she has available this week.”

As if she’d been waiting on a knife-edge for an excuse, Helena’s sharp response burst forth before she could stop it. “I am not a child, Myka. I am capable of making these decisions for myself.”

Myka bit her lip and breathed in with deliberate care. Deciding that anything she said at this point would be taken the wrong way, and not trusting herself to be completely calm, she remained silent and waited. It didn't take long before the inventor’s body started shaking with the effort to hold in her sobs and Myka needed very little strength to encourage her lover to turn over.

“I’m sorry,” Helena whimpered repeatedly against her fiancée’s skin, the words muffled but intelligible enough that the brunette heard and answered each time with a soft ‘it’s ok’.

Though she couldn’t understand her partner’s pain completely, Myka had grown close enough to the source, particularly over the past year, to appreciate how difficult retelling their story had been for Helena. Reliving those memories tonight was draining on both of them, especially for the inventor as the events had highlighted her past mistakes quite clearly for their daughter to see. ‘Warts and all’ was not an easy cross to bear when Helena wanted nothing more than for their little girl to be proud of her.

Sleep came eventually for the both of them, Myka having to admit defeat and be the little spoon when her body protested at being on her back, but HG’s arms circled her bulging middle and soft, thankful kisses tiptoed along her neck until muscles relaxed and gentle snores filled the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope this chapter sat well with everyone. Waaay back at the beginning of The Bubble, I stipulated no Walter Sykes or Warehouse explosion/astrolabe and estimated the story beginning around the end of season 4, but that was after only one binge-watch of the entire show, so timelines were very screwy in my head.
> 
> Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that the timeline of this saga doesn’t tie in with the show. I’ve made a vague estimation of two and a half years between HG’s arrival in the modern world and the present day with our happy little family. The events that HG mentions in her little tale are meant to refer to similar circumstances on the show, but for the most part, I’m going to leave those events up to your imagination. All that really matters is that Bering and Wells were apart and now they’re back together!
> 
> I’m beginning to make notes for the last couple of chapters of The Birth. The next story, The Brides, will skip a couple of years, so if there are any particular baby-moments that you want to see in this part, or requests for toddler moments in the next, start getting them in now, and I’ll see what I can do!
> 
> PS, teasing note ('cause I can't not now); up next, that moment we've all been waiting for...


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, little Fredrick is welcomed into the world...

June’s temperate warmth did nothing to prepare the residents of Univille for the sudden blast of heat that arrived at the beginning of the second week in July. One person in particular found the rise in temperature unbearable as she waddled around her home in a never-ending quest for relief, frequently whimpering at the feel of her body parts sticking together and calling for constant refills for the glass of ice she held in her hand.

Myka was miserable day and night, exhausted both by the energy spent trying to get comfortable and the sleep deprivation. She cursed her body, the weather, the lack of foresight in buying a home without air conditioning and anyone who dared to invade her space for more than a few minutes. The only person she found the energy to tolerate was Christina and that was only if the girl didn’t touch her mother or expect her to engage in anything remotely active.

Helena did her best to be quietly helpful - out of the way but ever available to respond to her lover’s needs. Being the cause of Myka’s condition put her firmly at the top of the brunette’s hit list though, which meant that she didn’t stay in the room long. That she couldn’t do much to help made her feel useless at this point in her fiancée’s pregnancy, and lonely considering that they had been practically inseparable up until now.

Helena hoped that the delivery she had expected two days ago would arrive today. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand being shut out when heat and lack of sleep were beginning to make her cranky also. The minute she lost her patience with Myka though, she was sure she would be cooked alive by the expectant woman’s immolating glare.

On a seventh trip to the kitchen for ice, HG heard the crunch of tyres on the curb and detoured to the front door to intercept. Swinging it open, she ignored the startled expression on the young man’s face and ripped the clipboard from his hands to scribble her signature on the bottom.

“Got something exciting, ma’am?” he asked, trying not to stare at the perspiration glistening on her collar and chest.

“Parts,” she murmured unhelpfully and shoved the clipboard back at him before making room for him to wheel the collection of boxes towards the basement.

With all the commotion, she expected Myka to be curious, but had hoped that her lover would be too tired to rise from her place on the couch. With their daughter spending a few hours out with Claudia and Steve, there was no one around other than Helena to be her runner though and not knowing was apparently motivation enough for her to make the effort to move.

Now, Myka’s ominous presence seemed to fill the hall.

At the arrival of the homicidal looking pregnant woman, the young delivery guy visibly paled, which was not the easiest feat for his caramel complexion. With the last box unloaded from his van, he offered the sexy Brit a sympathetic look and scarpered, his wide eyes avoiding contact with the imposing figure in the living room doorway.

Helena froze at the expression of irritation of her partner’s face. Seconds felt like a lifetime as she debated what to tell Myka. Knowing that evasion would be pointless, she decided that failure with her plan was not an option and approached the brunette as she would a lioness.

“What’s going on?” Myka demanded sharply. She stood with feet half a metre apart, one hand pushing on the small of her back, where it ached more than ever, and the other under her bump. “Are you having new _toys_ delivered?”

“No, darling. I could hardly enjoy a new project while you’re so uncomfortable,” HG assured her fiancée soothingly. “I intended for it to be a surprise – the parts were supposed to arrive on Wednesday. I purchased some air conditioners. It should only take an hour or so to have them set up throughout the house, once I know how they work.”

Myka’s expression lit up slightly but her tone was still irritable as she asked, “Don’t you just have to plug them in and push the buttons? Or did you have to buy the most complicated system?”

Helena winced at the accusation; it was not entirely inaccurate. “Shall we see how well they work before you rake me across the coals?” she grumbled in response, a hand rising to push an unusually lank lock of hair from her eyes. “Love, why don’t you have a cool bath while you’re waiting? I will make every effort to be done before you are.” Not waiting on the brunette’s answer, Helena kissed her cheek and disappeared.

Myka tipped her head back, eyes closed, and growled. Somewhere, underneath the irrational heat of her ire, she knew that her lover was doing everything in her power to help, but she felt like she’d just been abandoned in her misery. It took her a long moment to breathe through her desire to throw open the door to the basement and pick a fight, but when she did, her mind turned to Helena’s suggestion and she used what was left of her strength to climb the stairs.

The bath helped. The cool water slipped blissfully against her skin and though her passenger became suddenly active with the change in temperature, it was worth the occasional elbow against her innards to not be sweating anymore. Twice she pulled the plug out, letting some of the water drain before topping up the bath from the cold tap, and in sporadic intervals, she dozed.

The hour passed in fits of relaxation and frustration, until the door crept timidly open and admitted a cautiously triumphant looking HG Wells. Myka smiled sheepishly as her fiancée knelt by the side of the bath and asked her if she was feeling any better.

A dripping hand lifted out of the water and landed on top of Helena’s. “I’m sorry for being so grumpy. This heat is driving me nuts. You’re trying so hard and I really shouldn’t be taking my frustrations out on you.”

“Believe me, love, I have some idea of what you’re going through.” Helena laced their fingers together and brought her lover’s hand up to meet her lips. “I am so very grateful that Christina was a spring baby.”

Myka pushed an uncharitable comment to the back of her mind and redirected her thoughts. “So, you’re here to tell me that our house if about to become an ice-box?” she asked hopefully.

“It is ready for launch when you are,” the inventor declared proudly.

Myka frowned as she began the arduous task of exiting the bath. “As long as it doesn’t actually take off.” She begrudgingly accepted the hands that helped her over the lip of the tub and stood, comfortably-naked, in front of her partner. “’Cause I’m not sure I’d put it past you to build another rocket.”

“Rest assured, it was a figure of speech. It won’t literally launch.” She turned to grab a towel, muttering under breath, “I hope.”

Myka managed a straight face by the time Helena looked at her again and shot a raised eyebrow in her direction. Realising that her fiancée’s sharp hearing had caught it all, HG shrugged, her expression saying ‘well, you never know’.

The brunette slipped a thin robe on once she was dry (inwardly grumbling as her body began to rapidly reheat with the movement) and followed the other woman into their bedroom. At the foot of the bed, she noticed a curved, white box with vents along the side and top. Eager to recover her cooler state, she looked to the raven-haired inventor for instructions.

Helena lifted a small device with buttons from a pocket on the side and showed it to Myka. “I installed a remote controller into this one and the one in the living room and I’m hoping that Claudia will help me to make an app so we will both have control from our phones. Theoretically, that will allow us to change the settings for one or all machines from anywhere in the house,” she explained smugly.

“Honey, you know I usually love the tech-talk and I am impressed,” Myka said tersely. “But I would like to feel it working now.”

Slightly put down, HG placed the remote in the American’s hand unceremoniously and pointed to a button. “This one turns it on.”

The moment an icy blast hit her skin, Myka melted. It hardly seemed possible, but within a minute, she started to feel cold.

Helena tried not to sound too overbearing as she noticed the goose bumps and asked, “Would you like me to show you the rest of the controls now?”

In the end, she left her partner with the new device on an ambient temperature setting and suggested that Myka took the opportunity to nap while the house was quiet and she had the bed all to herself. Retreating to the basement once more, she forced herself to tidy the debris from her mini-engineering job and jumped in the shower just before Christina arrived home with her baby sitters in tow.

She put a finger to her lips as their footsteps and voices filled the hallway and pulled her daughter into a side-on hug. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes – Aunt Claudia and I climbed the monkey-bars. All the way to the top,” she whispered excitedly. “Jamie and Drew were there too. Where’s Mama?”

“Guessing by the hush-hush, kid, I’d say grumpy-Mama-Ber is sleeping,” Claudia said as she moved into the living room to inspect the source of the breeze. “Sweeeet,” she squealed softly as she spotted the new addition. “I see the goods finally arrived. No wonder big-sis is napping.” She flopped into the nearest chair and let out a satisfied ‘ahh’ when it didn’t immediately stick to her back.

Steve and HG shared an amused look before joining their friend. Conversation took a circuitous route around the Warehouse and the red-head took possession of Helena’s tablet for some time as she postulated over the functionality of the app she agreed to create.

“Jinxie has a secret boyfriend,” Claudia announced as she finished what she was doing and mentally returned to the room.

Agent Jinks flushed and threw a glare at his bestie. “Claude, enough. I don’t have a secret boyfriend.”

Helena smiled sympathetically at the uncomfortable expression on his face. “Myka was right, you can’t lie for toffee, Steve.” She and Christina were perched around the coffee table, building a pterodactyl with Mechano but the young man’s unsuccessful denial drew her attention away from the task for a moment. “So who is the lucky fellow?”

“Think about it, HG. None of us ever leaves the Warehouse or Leena’s long enough to form meaningful attachments and Steve-O is all ‘I’m workin’ here’ when we’re on a bust,” the techie’s arms moved robotically to match her tone as she rolled her eyes at Steve. “Who could possibly be on that very short list?” She placed her chin on one hand, tapping a finger against her lip in mock-thought. “There’s Artie, Pete and... who’s the only other possibility left...? So... hard...”

“Fine,” Steve threw his hands up in surrender. “We had dinner the other night. Happy? It was just dinner.”

“Nu-uh, Poopy-pants,” Claudia grinned ear-to-ear. “I caught you both getting snuggly to Magic Mike. I thought you were over your Tatum crush,” she teased relentlessly.

“If you have managed to make a connection with someone, we’re happy for you, Steve,” Helena interrupted, hoping to derail the red-head’s well-intentioned attack. The poor guy was turning a shade that she had never seen before and she thought he could use a break. “It is not easy to meet people you can have a lasting relationship with in this line of work, so we wish you the best.”

“Thank you, HG,” Steve responded with a sigh, shooting a meaningful look at his best friend.

“Yeah-yeah,” Claudia grumbled. “But when something does happen with JJ, I demand bestie-deet-rights.”

Smiling at their playful banter, Helena was reminded of her brother and wondered for a moment how he would have faired with the pseudo-siblings. After briefly reflecting, she noted the time and excused herself to make a start on dinner, insisting as she left the room that her guests stay to eat with them.

Christina wandered in and out, reporting on the progress of her mechanical dinosaur and commenting on her state of hunger when her mother still hadn’t finished. When Helena heard footsteps behind her again, she assumed they belonged to her daughter and jumped with a small squeak when lips brushed against her ear.

A familiar chuckle revealed her companion’s identity and she abandoned her bowl of salad to turn in her fiancée’s loose embrace. “I didn’t hear you coming down the stairs,” she commented as she relaxed against the counter.

“Odd,” Myka responded lightly. “I sound like an elephant wandering around these days.”

Helena rolled her eyes but as the comment had been somewhat playful, she ignored it. A hand rose, its thumb brushing tenderly over a flushed cheek. “You seem better rested. Can I assume that you actually managed to sleep?”

The brunette’s gaze flicked between her lover’s eyes and lips. Without answering the question, she leant in and settled against the inventor’s mouth, one hand sliding fingers around the nape of a neck while the other disappeared under the lapels of a shirt. She tasted the remnants of sweet-pepper on her fiancée’s tongue and a soft moan escaped her lips.

Helena melted into the American’s arms, her brain struggling to catch up with the abrupt change in her partner’s behaviour. She had no idea how long they stood there, making out like a couple of teenagers but by the time they came up for air, she was seriously contemplating dragging her lover back to bed. An emphatic ‘yeuch’ reached their ears and they turned to the doorway to find the source of the interruption.

Christina stood in the aperture, hands covering her eyes and giggling.

* * * * *

It began on the Tuesday of that same week, three weeks earlier than her original due date but right on time counting in the time travelling incident. Just after midnight, on the fourteenth day in July, Myka went into labour.

The significance of the date was not lost on either parent. They had discussed their feelings on the matter with Abigail since discovering the possibility that Fredrick could arrive this day and it had taken many sessions, for HG in particular, for them to find the silver lining. July fourteenth would be a day for celebrating their son’s birth, not commiserating their daughter’s death.

The pain stretched like a rubber band around her middle, gradually gaining strength as she breathed heavily through her nose and tried to sit up. “Helena!” she hissed into the darkness. Holding onto the edge of the mattress, she managed to pull herself upright and fumbled for the bedside lamp.

Having been subconsciously ready for weeks, at the first utterance of her name, HG was awake and moving before she even realised what was really happening. “I’m here, darling.” Only wobbling a little, she rounded the bed and crouched in front of her partner. “Do you think it’s time?”

Teeth clenched, Myka nodded jerkily and released a long groan. “Fuck,” she growled as the contraction rolled over her and began to taper off. She was still panting but looking into her lover’s reassuring gaze, she remembered all of their preparation and planning and knew what was coming next.

“Shall I call Vanessa and rest of the cavalry before I set up the room?” Helena checked and immediately reached for her phone as the brunette nodded.

After the first bought of false labour in Wyoming, they had a meeting with Dr Calder to discuss their birthing options in more detail. Myka’s experience of the hospital had been less than comfortable or relaxing and after Helena described her home-birth at her cousin’s house with her chosen doctor and midwife, much of their energy went into talking about the possibility of the same for Myka.

Having a spare bedroom where her helpers could nap if necessary and access to everything they needed through Vanessa, their decision was made easier. Within a few days, the house was ready, all the important people were on high alert, and all they had to do was wait.

Myka timed her contractions, insisting that she needed something to occupy her mind with other than the pain. By the time Helena had the bed ready for the messy proceedings and the doctor was on her way, they were fifteen minutes apart.

Christina’s pyjama-clad form came wandering in, the commotion having woken her, and stood staring sleepily at her American mother’s strained expression. “Is the baby coming, Mama?”

Myka patted the edge of the bed, the crinkle of the plastic mattress-protector sounding loud to her ears, and stood gradually to sit next to the young Victorian, from where she had been kneeling on the floor, trying to find a comfortable position. “Yes, your little brother has decided that it’s time to make his big entrance.” She opened her arms and the nine-year-old crawled into her left side. She appreciated the girl’s presence at that moment. Hanging around while waiting for the next contraction to hit was not fun. The anticipation was almost as bad as the pain itself and she knew she had a long way to go yet.

Helena returned from making her final call and sat next to Christina. “Vanessa and Leena will be arriving in a couple of hours,” she informed her partner. “Claudia and Pete will make their way over once it’s light.”

“Pete?” Myka wondered aloud. She didn’t really object to his presence per-se, as long as he wasn’t actually in the room.

“He insisted that I inform him the minute you went into labour so that he could be here to meet his nephew personally. Though I did wonder if his ulterior motive was to have a practise run before it’s Lila’s turn.”

“I’ll bet he...” Myka’s words cut off as she leant forward, breathing consciously through the beginning of another contraction.

After reassuring their daughter that what her Mama was experiencing was normal, Helena encouraged her to return to bed, placed some gentle music into her Hi-Fi and promised to wake her either when it was morning or when the baby was born, though she did explain that Freddy probably wouldn’t arrive until at least late morning. With her Mummy stroking her head, sleep soon returned to the girl.

HG took a moment to remember Christina’s birth before she quietly left the room and went back to helping her partner.

She listened attentively as Myka talked through their preparations again, knowing that her lover was nervous and needed to reassure herself that they had everything in place for later. She ran for drinks and snacks whenever the brunette mentioned hunger or thirst, and did her best to help find comfortable positions against random items of furniture or on the yoga mat Steve had given them for this very reason.

Myka held onto Helena’s presence like a lifeline in those pre-dawn hours. Vanessa arrived ahead of anyone else and smiled comfortingly as she checked her patient over, declaring before long that everything was moving at a good pace.

Morning arrived and Christina reappeared like a kid on Christmas morning, only to find things exactly as she’d left them. Both of her parents assured her that the baby was still coming and Leena, who had arrived just before dawn, volunteered to make breakfast for everyone, eliciting the nine-year-old’s help in the process.

By midday, Myka was well in to her first stage of labour, her contractions coming every three minutes and staying for longer and longer. She remained mobile for as long as possible, hoping that gravity would help to speed things along, but eventually, Vanessa ushered her towards the bed for another round of checks and she decided she was too tired to get up again.

She held onto Helena, groaning through the pain, and tried to visualise her muscles relaxing, her body opening up.

“Remember your breathing, darling. Focus on my voice.” The inventor took little care in schooling the excitement and natural 'know-it-all' tone from her voice, which she realised was a mistake the moment she noted her lover's irritated expression. She vaguely recalled screaming insults at anyone and everyone during Christina's birth and kicked herself at the novice comment.

“I know!” Myka growled through the pain as she clutched the bed sheets and tried to remember _how_ to breathe.

* * * * *

“He’s hurting her,” Christina whispered just as Myka’s latest groan vibrated through the ceiling.

Lunchtime had come and gone, with Leena vanishing upstairs the minute she’d tidied the kitchen and Pete and Claudia returning to the living room with their charge while they all continued to wait.

“Hey, kid,” the red-head spoke, gaining the nine-year-old’s attention. “He’s not really hurting her, you know. Like your moms told you, it’s not easy pushing a person out of your body.”

“She’s gonna be ok, CJ,” Pete told her from his perch on the arm of the sofa. “We can still walk down to Leena’s though if it bothers you. They said it was ok if you weren’t happy waiting around.”

“Yeah,” Claudia added. “It’s probably gonna be a while yet.”

“No,” Christina objected firmly and climbed onto the sofa. “I’m alright. I want to stay.” She was tired, only having slept for five hours before the chaos had begun and managing very little even after being sent back to bed, but there was no chance of her falling asleep any time soon.

Claudia found the stereo and pressed play on what was already in the machine. She rolled her eyes slightly at the predictable classical tune that sprang to life, but at the small smile on the nine-year-old’s face, she left Bolero playing.

They pulled Monopoly out of the games’ cupboard and cleared the coffee table to set it up. As per their routine whenever Pete played with them, Christina and the tech-whizz immediately ganged up on him, declaring his downfall before they’d even started.

Upstairs, things continued to progress. Vanessa’s arrival had initially calmed Agent Bering’s growing panic, but as her contractions became stronger and closer together, Myka began to let her thoughts run to all sorts of horrible scenarios. What would they do if she haemorrhaged and the ambulance didn’t arrive on time, or what if the baby got stuck and they couldn’t get him out? What the hell had she been thinking, wanting her own experience to be as close to Helena's as possible? This was the twenty first century for crying out loud. Why wasn't she lying in a stark white room allowing someone to stick a needle in her to numb some of the pain!?

Helena sat by her fiancée’s side, hearing the erratic sounds of Myka’s breathing, seeing the tell-tale signs that she was over thinking, and began to explain in a calm, even tone what was happening. “Myka? Darling, listen to me. We’re nearly there. Whatever is troubling that beautiful mind of yours, I need you to come back to me. Watch my breathing,” she instructed, gaining the attention of tired green eyes. “Follow me.” Gradually, it began to work and Myka developed a more even rhythm, similar to what they had been learning in class. “That’s it. You’re doing wonderfully,” she encouraged gently.

“We’re about nine centimetres now, Myka. Not far to go,” Vanessa chatted, keeping her tone conversational as she and Leena monitored mother and baby’s vitals and checked that everything else was in place. “He seems in quite a rush to meet his moms.”

“Well, he’s welcome to come out any time now,” Myka groaned as her grip on Helena's hand relaxed a little and she wiped indignantly at the perspiration on her brow. “I don’t understand why women would do this more than once.”

“Believe it or not, love,” Helena began. “But once all of this pandemonium is over and that precious life is lying in your arms, the months of discomfort and hours of pain become worth it. It’s an addictive feeling.”

Myka’s semi-serene expression collapsed and she bent forward, hands bunching the sheets again. “Not right now it isn’t!” she complained through gritted teeth.

The sun passed its zenith by the time Myka was fully dilated and she began pushing in earnest. In all the hours since waking, Helena had left the room only to run errands for her love, check on Christina, escort her agitated fiancée on a walk along the landing or to visit the en-suite. Knowing what her partner was going through, she winced at each new wave of pain and willed the end along. When Dr Calder finally announced that she could see the head, she felt a swell of anticipation.

Fredrick Charles came screaming into the world at 2:48pm, his head covered with a thin layer of dark hair and weighing 8lb 3oz. As he was quickly wiped over with a muslin and handed over to his exhausted mother, his wailing died down, leaving just his lower lip wobbling pitifully.

Helena and Leena helped Myka to shuffle back so she could recline against the cushions at the head of the bed. HG mounted the mattress with care, eager to snuggle with her lover and their newest family member.

Like every other proud new parent in history, Myka and Helena had eyes only for their baby and occasionally each other. Their hands moved continuously, gently exploring the curve of their son’s head, tiny ears and curled-up fingers. Tears fell unseen from green eyes and the American finally understood what her fiancée had meant by the addictive feeling. This moment, and for all time, her baby held a piece of her heart.

A sudden thought made her breath catch in her throat. “Helena, I want to see Christina,” she demanded.

HG gazed into her lover’s eyes and immediately understood the request. They had not had chance to enjoy this moment together when their daughter was born and, ignoring the fact that they might never have met if the girl had not been left with Helena in 1890, Myka should have been holding both of their children in her arms. She kissed Myka soundly and prepared to get off the bed but was stopped with a gesture and a smile from across the room.

“I’ll get her,” Leena offered. “If you want me to.”

“You still have to birth the placenta, Myka,” Vanessa warned, though she was by no means adverse to anything that kept her patient happy and calm.

“I know,” Myka said, already feeling her body working to that effect. “But that could take a while, right?”

Dr Calder nodded. “Everything has come along nicely so far. I expect it will follow within the next hour.”

Smiling and turned back to her ever-patient friend, Myka inclined her head. “Please, Leena.”

When Christina arrived, Helena immediately made room for her on the bed and cuddled up behind her family. She watched Myka kiss their daughter’s hair and invite her to stroke her brother’s head. The nine-year-old dropped her head onto the American’s shoulder and Myka’s curly-haired head joined it.

“He’s so small,” Christina observed as she gazed down at the baby in awe. “Was I that small?”

“Yes, my love,” Helena whispered, not wishing to break the peaceful atmosphere. “Your fingers were this tiny and you squeaked when you yawned.”

Myka’s chuckle reverberated through their group embrace. Fredrick’s eyes blinked open and he squinted up at the three females staring at him. “Hi there baby. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you for some time now.”

“I’m your sister,” Christina told him enthusiastically. “When you’re bigger, we can play in my tree house and pretend to be pirates and have great adventures.”

Helena shared a look with Myka, both of them knowing that, by the time he was old enough to climb into a tree house, their teenaged daughter would likely have outgrown games of make believe.

HG tousled Christina’s hair. “He’s going to love that tree house when he’s big enough, darling. But it’s going to be a long time before his gross-motor skills are developed enough for him to climb.”

“Mummy or I could carry him up for the occasional picnic though, once he’s sitting up maybe,” Myka added.

As Fredrick yawned, squeaked and made everyone laugh, Dr Calder suggested that Myka try to feed him, explaining that it might speed the final stage of labour along. Christina jumped off the bed and volunteered to tell Pete and Claudia all about her little brother.

The nine-year-old skipped down stairs with a grin, holding her Mummy’s phone, which contained the first few snap-shots of Fredrick. She bounded into the living room and jumped on Pete, who was stuffing himself with cookies. “He’s here! Look, Leena took some pictures with Mummy’s phone.”

“How come you’re not still up there, soaking up all the baby cuteness?” Pete asked, his words sounding muffled around the food in his mouth.

The girl pulled a face. “Mama still has to birth the placenta. I didn’t want to stay for that; it sounded yucky.”

Caught by his imagination, Pete miraculously lost his appetite and tossed the remnants of his snack back on the plate, his hand brushing crumbs from his mouth and shirt onto the floor. He wrapped his arms around the excitable girl and patted the space next to him. “Come on, Claude. Come see the Warehouse 13 next-next generation.”

There were only about a dozen pictures to look at but it was enough to keep the trio occupied for half an hour as the adults ‘awed’ over their newest addition and remarked on the mushy expressions between Myka and HG. Christina waxed lyrical about all of her big sister duties and how she planned to teach him how to walk, talk and build sky-scrapers.

When Helena appeared downstairs again, it was to announce that everything had been cleaned up and Myka wanted to see them before they left. She led her guests into the master bedroom, hanging back slightly with her daughter to whisper a word in her ear as Agents Lattimer and Donovan tussled briefly over the chair closest to the new mother.

Christina grinned, disappeared and reappeared a minute later with something from her room. She climbed onto the mattress again, taking her chosen position at the head of the bed and held a wrapped package on her lap.

“What’s this?” Myka asked, her expression softly curious as she gazed down at her daughter. With Pete holding Freddy, she was able to wrap an arm around the girl’s shoulders and feel the lumpy package with her free hand.

“It’s mine, Mama, but I want to give it to Freddy.” She beamed from ear to ear, eyes full of mischief. “Will you open it?”

Myka threw a questioning glance at her fiancée and received a gentle nod in return. Intrigued, she began to pick at a strip of sticky-tape. “You might have to help me while I only have one arm,” she told the girl. The minute they had one end open and the paper began to fall away, Myka’s eyes misted over. Even were she not chock full of hormones and not emotional from having just given birth, the sight of her favourite childhood bear, the sentimental toy she had gifted Christina with, would have caused the same reaction. “Sweetheart, are you sure?” she asked through a suddenly tight throat.

“It’s ok, Mama. I want Freddy to have our bear,” she insisted.

Biting her tongue, to hold onto the primal sound that worked its way to the back of her throat, Myka picked up the stuffed toy and began to manipulate it with her one free hand. “For the best big sister ever,” she croaked in a funny voice and proceeded to attack the nine-year-old with teddy-kisses.

Pete and Claudia watched this interaction with similar responses, heads tilted to the side and puppy-dog eyes. The second the moment was over though, the red-head returned to quietly demanding aunt-rights.

“It’s my turn, you big baby-hog,” Claudia whispered into the big guy’s ear.

“Hey, hey, hey, little sister,” Agent Lattimer crooned. “Little dude wants his Uncle Petie.”

“It’s my turn,” the techie hissed.

Myka glared at the pair of them from her position on the bed. “Are you fighting over my child?”

“Zoinks,” Pete winced and ducked instinctively, if a little less exuberantly than usual.

“Stop it,” the hard-eyed brunette told her friends. A second passed and then her death-stare withered. “Or Old-Ted will have to have words,” the funny voice returned, prompting a group chuckle.

Claudia had her turn, returned the baby to Pete, and then needed another cuddle before she and Agent Lattimer made their farewells and promised to run interference with well wishers for a couple of days until they were all a little more rested.

Myka fell asleep almost as soon as the guests had left; Christina curled into her side and Freddy in his bassinette. Helena saw Vanessa and Leena out of the front door, taking note of the doctor’s orders and promising to call with any questions.

The door closed and silence descended on the hallway, prompting the inventor’s body to deflate, her head thumping softly against the wood as she grinned to herself happily. An unexpected burst of delight fell from her lips and she clamped a hand over her mouth as a chuckle escaped and a fresh wave of tears gathered across her vision. Arms pushed her from the door and she tiptoed swiftly up the stairs, only slowing at the entrance to hers and Myka’s bedroom.

They were just as she’d left them, her beautiful family. Helena absorbed the sight before her with relish, holding onto that feeling of unadulterated bliss. She pushed the door softly closed behind her before gliding across the carpet towards her son. Only the anticipation of this moment had fed her patience while Pete and Claudia took their turns to hold the boy and she breathed calmly now as she reached into the bassinette.

Fredrick complained at the disturbance, his face scrunching, fists reaching above his head and his little lungs pushing a whining-grunt passed his vocal chords. His mother’s arms pulled him close to her warmth and her familiar voice whispered soothingly in his ear until he blinked, protests dying, and then slipped back into slumber.

Babe in arms, the inventor found an oversized cushion, lowered herself into the newly acquired rocking chair and arranged her body so she would have little need to move any time soon. There was no keeping the smile from her face as she gazed lovingly down into her son’s features and began to memorise every curve and dip.

Unsurprisingly, there was a great resembled to his sister; the same pout, the same rounded cheeks and chin, the same gentle slope along the bridge of his nose, only... boyish. He continued to grunt and snuffle through each breath, using airways that he’d not needed to exercise before now.

Helena placed a lingering kiss on his crown and leant back in her seat, her arms lowering to rest atop the giant cushion, where the tiny prince lay, safely nestled in his Mummy’s arms.

After the long, emotional day, HG could barely keep her eyes open. Knowing that chaos would soon resume, with everyone needing to eat and bathe before day’s end, she didn’t resist Morpheus’ pull and drifted effortlessly to sleep, a smile still ghosting her expression.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: family fluff and baby drama...


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed the arrival of little Fredrick. Here are a few 'days in the life of...'
> 
> I feel like I should apologise for Pete but... Well, he's Pete! *shrug*

Myka knelt on the floor of her living room, one hand playing with her son’s fingers while the other held a phone to her ear. “Trace, she’s already picking out pre-schools for him,” the agent complained into the handset. “Is it wrong that I liked it better when she wasn’t speaking to me?”

“You don’t mean that,” the younger Bering sibling insisted. “And she did the same with Dan. Knowing Mom, she’s probably guilt-tripping now and just trying too hard. Do you want me to talk to her?”

“No, I’ve got it,” Myka stopped pulling faces long enough to answer. “I’m just tired right now. I’m trying really hard to appreciate her good intentions, but she’s just so...”

“Mom?” Tracy chuckled.

“Yeah,” Myka sighed.

Another amused sound came through the connection. “Remember that when Christina and Freddy are grown up. We’re moms now, Sis.”

“Urgh,” the agent grumbled briefly before pulling another face at the gurgling boy, who was now trying to swallow his fist. “My son’s a month old and Christina’s still my baby too, please don’t talk about them growing up yet – they need to stay young for a little while longer. I can’t believe four weeks have gone by so fast.”

“Tell me about it! Dan’s pretty fast when he rolls now. He’ll be crawling before I know it.” The sisters shared a moment of contemplative silence as they each thought about how quickly their children were growing.

It wasn’t so obvious with Christina, who was as chatty and inquisitive as the day her Mama had found her, almost a year ago. There were subtle differences, her height, her understanding of the world around her and the occasional burst of attitude but the changes were gradual. Fredrick, in contrast, seemed to grow every time his parents blinked.

“Does Kevin still have Saturday off? Are you coming over for the grand unveiling?” Myka eventually broke the silence.

“I’m surprised Helena had the time, or the energy, to build a ground-fort to go with Christina’s tree house,” Tracy said, her tone a little envious.

“Steve helped with the actual building and Leena’s been round every other day with food. I’m not sure I would’ve coped without all the extra support,” Myka lamented. “Christina’s so enthusiastic but sometimes it’s hard to get anything done when she insists on helping with everything. Can’t say I would choose to have it any other way though.”

“She’s an angel. You should’ve heard Dad in the shop the other day; telling everyone his nine-year-old granddaughter could run the place almost single-handedly.” She snorted her amusement. “He’s getting soft in his old age.”

The news caught Myka by surprise and she hesitated for a moment between pride for her daughter and regret for her younger self. In the end, she decided to be content with the present and her father’s attentiveness to _all_ of his grandchildren, regardless of gender.

Once Fredrick became fed up of being on the floor, Myka bid her sister farewell and returned her full attention to him. Lifting him into her arms, she did a quick diaper check and decided that he was probably just ready for a nap. As Helena and Christina were out shopping for groceries, she decided that half an hour of shut-eye wouldn’t do her any harm either and carried him up to hers and Helena’s bedroom.

* * * * *

Days later, Pete Lattimer wandered into his living room after returning from an hour in the park with his niece to find an afternoon feeding session in full flow. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he softly imitated a high-alert klaxon and an inter-com voice. “Booby alert, booby alert! All persons please refrain from commenting on the boobies.” He gazed round at the un-amused faces and gulped. “You’re gonna hit me, aren’t you?”

HG, Lila and Myka looked at each other before answering simultaneously, “Yes!”

He approached his girlfriend from behind her chair and leant down to kiss her. He watched his daughter for a minute and then rubbed his belly. “Now I’m hungry.”

“There are leftovers in the fridge,” Lila told him as she tried not to laugh at his antics.

“I want what she’s having,” he teased, earning him a combined glare and prompting a swift retreat. He could swear that he heard the sound of chuckling in his wake though.

HG shook her head at the smiles on Myka and Lila’s faces. “You two only encourage him by laughing you know.”

Myka observed her lover’s expression and had to look away when she felt a giggle start to shake her body. “Sorry, little guy,” she crooned towards her son’s indignant expression. “You didn’t order milk shake, did you?”

Helena rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. When Myka found things funny at her expense though, it usually didn’t take long for the light in her fiancée’s eyes to elicit a smile from her. Even if that did encourage Pete to assume that her amusement was due to _him._

She couldn’t help leaning into the brunette to whisper in her ear. “How is it that an intelligent woman such as yourself can find him so risible?”

Myka’s head pulled back slightly to frown in surprise at the Brit. “You don’t have to be unintelligent or a member of the hoi polloi to find slap-stick or toilet humour funny.”

“I meant no offence, darling. I just don’t see the attraction. And I am by no means complaining,” she added as she began to realise that she was perhaps digging a hole for herself. She saw the looming lecture behind green eyes and backtracked. “I will happily tolerate anything that makes you smile.”

Agent Bering shook her head at the inventor’s pathetic attempt. With a mischievous gleam in her eye, she positioned her mouth against her lover’s ear. “Are you saying that you _don’t_ want some of what Freddy’s having?”

Helena choked and turned a deeper shade of pink. “I shall hold my tongue now,” she mumbled to herself uncharacteristically.

* * * * *

Inconsolable wails of an infant filled the house, accompanied by a woman’s panicked tones and her lover’s attempt at consolation.

“What the hell is wrong with him!?” Myka felt completely frazzled. She couldn’t care less that her clothes were soiled or that her hair brought new meaning to the word ‘untamed’. If the neighbours complained about the noise or gossiped about her abilities as a mother, she would quite happily give them a piece of her mind... or fist. Her only concern at present was her son’s well-being.

“Love, his temperature is not dangerously high,” Helena attempted to say over the noise. “He had a full feed last night and he’s managed a bit through the day. He probably just has a bug and he’s uncomfortable.” She was trying to keep a lid on her own anxieties for Myka’s sake, but they lingered at the back of her mind anyway. Fredrick had been grizzly all day and not his usual content self. I was difficult not to feel overly worried.

“Did you call Vanessa again?” Myka asked as she rocked her baby and continued to fuss over him.

“If his temperature rises any more or we can’t settle him within the next hour, she’ll come right over. Otherwise, she’ll be here first thing in the morning,” the inventor tried to reassure her fiancée calmly. “Love, why don’t you let me take him for a bit while you have some time for yourself?”

“No,” the brunette protested, almost holding the boy tighter, lest the inventor attempt to remove him from her arms. “I need to help him,” she insisted, though she had no idea how she might do that.

She was tired, scared and ready to pounce on anyone who tried to get between her and her baby. A part of her appreciated her fiancée’s support and she would remember to thank her later but for now, she just couldn’t force herself to be logical. Her breasts hurt with the pressure of being too full but she refused to put Fredrick down long enough to express more milk. Protective Myka was in complete control and her own well being was at the bottom of her list of priorities.

Neither adult heard the footsteps on the stairs, but they both turned to the living room door when the sound of quiet sobs reached them. Simultaneously, they moved towards their daughter but it was Helena’s burden-free arms that reached out for the nine-year-old.

“Christina?” HG placed a hand on the girl’s cheek and felt its heat. “My love, what’s wrong?”

“My tummy feels...” she paused a mere second before she retched and threw her half-digested dinner on her Mummy.

Behind HG, the couple’s second child followed suit, splattering his Mama in a similar fashion. The two agents froze at the unexpected turn, though a small part of Myka breathed a sigh of relief. At least Freddy had mostly stopped crying and it seemed as if her fiancée might be right about the bug.

Christina whimpered softly as Helena tried to comfort her without spreading the detritus. The inventor glanced up at her partner and half-smiled in sympathy. “Downstairs bathroom?”

Myka reached for a semi-clean muslin and handed it to HG while using Freddy’s bib on herself. “Probably best,” she conceded.

They stripped down to underwear in the bathroom, throwing their clothes on a pile in the corner while Myka saw to Fredrick on the changing mat and Helena helped Christina into the shower.

Agreeing that they’d all be better off camping in the living room in case there were more regurgitations, Helena settled her daughter on the couch with a blanket and a sick bowl, and then ran upstairs to fetch some old, comfy clothes for them. She freshened up as best she could with a few baby wipes before relieving her partner, insisting that she could hold down the fort for however long it took the brunette to clean herself up and see to her discomfort.

Two more mass clean ups were needed before morning, the children almost in sync with their bouts of sickness. By dawn’s light, the living room was a shambles; cushions, clothes, towels and whatnot strewn across every surface, but with the family at last finding rest in sleep. Myka half reclined on the single sofa with Freddy on her chest, while Helena had the spread of the couch with Christina snuggled into her side.

When Vanessa arrived early in the morning, letting herself in with the spare key from Leena’s, she almost knew what she was going to see. On entering the living room, her jaw dropped slightly but as she realised that everyone was mostly ok, she retreated without a noise and called for the cavalry to help with the aftermath.

* * * * *

As the end of August arrived and with it, the end of summer, Myka and Helena allowed themselves to leave the house and their children in the care of Leena and Claudia while they went out on their first date since Fredrick was born.

Since the week of stomach upsets, sleepless nights and living room campouts, Myka had begun to find herself clinging a little too much to her children and Abigail had suggested this outing to break the cycle.

That the date marked the first anniversary of their reunion with Christina was a happy coincidence but seemed to give Agent Bering all the more reason to want to stay at home.

“He’s been feeding for about an hour at four, seven and ten,” Myka continued to explain to Leena as she followed Helena to the front door. “He’s had expressed milk before so he should be ok, but if he won’t take to it, I’ll come straight back. We’ll be back by nine anyway, but if there are any problems, you’ll call?”

Leena’s serene smile followed the agent. “If there’s a problem Claudia and I can’t fix, then I won’t hesitate to call you, Myka.”

“Don’t worry though, Mama-Ber, we’ve got this,” Claudia piped up from the door to the living room where she stood with her hands on Christina’s shoulders. “Little Jedi’s gonna kill some chords with me, then we’ve got a mad-libs re-match to get with. We’re gonna have a blast.”

Helena’s hand landed on the small of her partner’s back. “Love, shall we go?” She remembered her own anxieties from the previous year when she’d had to leave Christina for the first time and she didn’t want to push Myka too hard.

“Ok,” the brunette nodded and breathed deeply before she waltzed through the front door in a semi-daze.

“Erm, darling!?” Helena called after the woman who didn’t seem aware that she wasn’t following. She watched Myka turn and smiled as she nodded in the direction of her arms.

Flushing, Myka glanced down at the content looking boy in her arms and slowly smiled at him. She wandered back to the house, her eyes pinned to his, and reluctantly placed him in Leena’s arms. She felt Helena’s hand sliding into her own and squeezed it.

The restaurant was only fifteen minutes down the road by foot and as the forecast was good and they were getting out early, the couple agreed to enjoy a leisurely stroll. It took the first five minutes before Myka stopped internalising her every thought and realised that she could talk to her date. Another five minutes passed before she let out a breath to release some of her pent up tension but by the time they arrived at the restaurant and were seated, she was mostly present with her fiancée and not _completely_ consumed by thoughts of home.

As they both ordered sparkling water and the waiter left them to browse the menu, Myka reached across the table and grasped the inventor’s hands. “Thank you for dragging me out of the house, Helena. I could never have expected to miss you this much, considering we live in the same house.”

“And sleep in the same bed,” HG agreed lightly. “It’s surprising how much time and energy new-borns siphon from your day. I am pleased that you agreed to accompany me. Much as I adore watching you with Fredrick and Christina, I am rather partial to being the centre of your attention,” she joked.

Green eyes softened and a shy smile lifted the corner of the brunette’s mouth. It was testament to how in tune they were that Myka knew her partner’s words weren’t intended to make her feel guilty. It was simply a statement and something she could relate to. A warmth that had nothing to do with the late summer’s evening and everything to do with the loving gaze pinning her from across the table, skittered along her spine.

Between courses, Agent Bering checked her phone for messages, but otherwise made an effort to be in the room, giving the inventor her undivided attention and basking in her lover’s presence. They paid the bill and left by eight-thirty, giving them ample time to stroll the long way home.

“...Well, we have plenty of time to consider the location, darling. We do not need to decide right at this moment,” Helena reminded her fiancée as they walked arm in arm through the park and talked about the event that would bring an end to their engagement.

“I would like to have our wedding in London. Somehow, I just think it will make us feel closer to your family,” Myka explained, thinking about Eleanor and Rupert mostly, though Charles too. “I want to have another chance to take a ride with you in a horse and buggy,” she grinned.

Helena smirked and leant in to brush her lips across her lover’s cheek. “That was quite a ride. Were you hoping to repeat the entire journey?”

“Do you think we could still get away with it?” Myka nudged her shoulder against Helena’s. “I don’t even know if those sorts of carriages are available any more. There’s always Central Park I suppose. We haven’t talked much about where we’re going to honeymoon yet.”

“A place where it is warm enough for us to establish a ‘clothes optional’ policy in our suite,” Helena stipulated with a suggestive glance at her lover’s body.

Myka blushed as heat suffused her body once more. “As long as there’s A-C,” she added while she looked down at her shoes and everything but the Brit’s penetrating gaze.

“Darling,” HG drew them to a steady halt and moved to stand in front of the other woman, her hands coming to rest on twin hips. She waited until her favourite shade of green looked at her. “You know that I find you just as irresistible as always, don’t you? That it matters not that your body didn’t immediately snap back to its former shape after you gave birth to our son?” An almost guilty expression appeared on Myka’s features and Helena shook her head with knowing exasperation. “I understand feeling insecure after experiencing such a momentous change or simply not feeling amorous. I vaguely recall doubting that I would ever wish to lie with another again after Christina was born. So long as you know that my estimation of your beauty has changed not one iota. Or at least, not negatively.” She placed the fingers of her right hand under Myka’s chin. “To me, love, you become more radiant with each passing day and whenever you are ready to resume a more physical connection, you need only ask.”

Myka released a slow breath and leant into the inventor to bring their bodies flush. She hadn’t been consciously avoiding her fiancée; being a new mother was tiring and time consuming, and she wanted to be the best mother she could be, but the idea that her body wasn’t as desirable as it had been pre-baby had crept into her thoughts once or twice. She hummed against the skin of the inventor’s neck. She thought about how the evening had flowed once she let go of her anxiety and invested herself in the moment.

“I will,” she finally said, looking up through her eyelashes into HG’s warm gaze. In her sultriest tone, she added, “I promise.”

Helena’s eyebrow rose, her expression hinting that she would appreciate more detail, but instead of pushing the subject, she simply leant in and captured her fiancée’s lips in a light, loving kiss.

They wandered the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence, arriving a little after ten-past nine, which seemed to be excuse enough for Claudia to squeeze the life out of Myka with a congratulatory hug. Leena returned a happy little boy to his relieved mommies and gave the couple a comprehensive report of the evening’s activities. A pyjama clad nine-year-old hovered at the top of the stairs moments after their guests left and Myka handed her bundle of joy to the inventor as she volunteered to see the girl back to bed, knowing that she would get her bonding time with Freddy when he was ready for his next feed. She didn’t so often have time for tucking Christina into bed these days though so jumped at the chance.

Tucking an arm around the girl’s shoulders, she led her daughter back to bed and pulled the covers over her arms, making sure that Roquefort was also adequately snug under the girl’s chin.

“Did you have a nice time with Claudia, Sweetheart?” Myka enquired as soon as the girl had stopped wriggling and disturbing the lie of her guilt. “What did you end up doing? Just guitar and mad-libs?”

“Mm-hm,” Christina nodded sleepily. “Leena made spaghetti and meatballs too.”

Myka absentmindedly stroked through wavy curls, watching dark eyes disappearing behind heavy lids. She almost asked for more information on which new chords she’d learned and who had won the competition but she swallowed both questions when the tell-tale sound of heavy breathing reached her ears. Another, sharper sound caught her attention after a while and she glanced at her watch to find that she had been observing her daughter for almost twenty minutes. After whispering a final ‘good night princess’, she carefully closed the door behind her, wandering downstairs to find her fiancée holding a now grizzly boy.

Helena had him pressed against her chest, her lips whispering soothingly into his ear as her body swayed in a rocking motion. “Hush now, little one; here comes supper,” she told him as she spotted Myka.

The brunette glanced at her son, spotted the bib already around his neck and led the way into the living room. The couple worked around each other quickly, both aware of the increasing intensity of their son’s hungry cry. Helena settled herself against the end of the couch handing the boy to Myka, pulling a cushion against her chest and making room for the other woman to lean back against her.

This was their routine of a night now. With Fredrick wanting his last feed of the day near ten o’clock and Christina sound asleep, they took the opportunity to cuddle up together for an hour before bed. Myka held Freddy to her breast, his appetite silencing him as he latched on, his wobbling chin disappearing and leaving his nose free enough to snuffle a continuous supply of air. His parents smiled indulgently at his enthusiasm and Myka relaxed back into her lover’s firm hold, her head tilting slightly to brush against Helena’s.

They both missed the moments that were reserved just for the two of them - the mornings when they could cuddle without anticipating a baby’s cry; the stolen occasions for a heated embrace in the middle of the day; nights spent writhing against one another in the dark, absorbing scents and sounds of their combined passion - simpler times when parental duties were not so heavy or numerous.

But it was like missing sunset during a crisp and beautiful sunrise. The beginning of a new day that held a promise for excitement, romance and adventure but with the added understanding that the blanket of night would inevitably return, and with it, that embrace of gold.

The time when sleepless nights were once again the effect of insatiable passions would return eventually. For now though, they were perfectly content to enjoy the sunrise.

* * * * *

HG’s paper work sat, virtually untouched, for the best part of a week. She summarised its content for her fiancée verbally and, in fits and starts, between the many chores that now consumed them, they discussed and debated the findings. Once it became obvious that they needed a solid few hours without interruption to really put their thoughts to work though, they sent their children for an afternoon play at the bed and breakfast, and sequestered themselves in their study.

Myka sat on the couch, glasses perched on her nose and papers spread in neat, organised piles around her. “Do you have everything from Jane’s research?” she asked, eyes fixed on the document in her hand. When no answer immediately came from across the room, she glanced up to find dark eyes and a far away look centred on her. With a half-smile, she removed her reading glasses and returned a very teachery ‘are you paying attention’ expression.

Though Helena recovered swiftly from her drifting thoughts, a thrill of desire fluttered at the amused authority in her lover’s gaze and hit her low down. Some part of her brain had apparently been paying attention because her hands reacted and reached for the requested file. Her eyes held Myka’s as she passed it over.

“Is this what you want?” she asked, unable to keep the suggestion out of her voice.

Smiling at the flirty tone, Agent Bering took the documents in one hand and brought an arm of her glasses to rest between her teeth with the other, deliberately pulling Helena’s attention to her mouth. Her thoughts were easily able to appreciate their playful interactions _and_ focus on the task at hand.

So far, they had managed to catch up with the Warehouse’s recent acquisitions, read Artie’s latest report on the agents’ field missions and, most importantly, reviewed their teenaged daughter’s condition. Though Claudia, Artie and Mrs Fredrick kept daily vigils on the bronzed adolescent and the red head’s invention was doing its job, both women wanted to see the details with their own eyes. Abigail had helped them to relax from _their_ daily updates to once a week and with Fredrick’s arrival had then pushed them to once a fortnight. ‘Operation Sleeping Beauty’ no longer sent them into moments of panic but they were not the type of people to give up complete control.

Artie’s insistence that they read his reports on everything ongoing at the Warehouse had surprised both agents and made them question his motives. When it became clear that the directive actually came from Mrs Fredrick and the small group of trusted regents, their curiosity was piqued. When asked, the caretaker simply smiled and assured them that it was in everyone’s best interest if they didn’t lose complete contact with the entity’s histories, even if some of that history was still in the making.

As Jane hinted that most of the regents wished to retain Myka and Helena’s skills indefinitely, whether on site or from home, the agents accepted and agreed to read regular reports.

“There’s no link between Rose Ingress and the glyphs we found. Jane hasn’t found anything else in the regent’ vault either. She’s going to keep looking but we will have to be content with Norie’s notes for now,” Myka summaries once she’d finished reading. “Claudia hasn’t found anything out of the ordinary with Miss Ingress’ accounts or her activities. Whatever her associations, if she had any, they’re long gone and not coming to help. If they ever had contact, they didn’t leave a trail that we can follow.”

“So we know nothing more about this woman’s intentions,” HG concluded with a sigh, all playfulness gone in the light of more serious concerns. “Should we be more worried?”

Myka moved a pile of papers to a space on the floor and patted the cushion next to her. Helena needed no further encouragement to leave her post at the desk to join her fiancée on the small love-seat. “I’m not worried,” she stated and then paused. “Well, not overly worried,” she amended quickly, seeing the scepticism on her partner’s face. “I don’t want to waste the next however many years if takes for our enemies to show themselves, by constantly looking over my shoulder. There’s a fine line between vigilance and paranoia.”

“It’s difficult,” HG responded as she ran fingers through her hair. “Are we simply going to allow random attacks like the one in Colorado?”

“What choice do we have?” Myka countered regretfully. “Honey, we’ve done everything in our power to protect ourselves and our family. We have safeguards, contingency plans, even something like a panic-room. Our friends are in the same boat; we’re in this together. I think one of the reasons we have Artie’s reports is so that we always have the clearest picture of what’s happening around us.” She kissed the side of her lover’s head, knowing just how hard it was to embrace the reality that it wasn’t possible to control everything. “Anything else that comes to us, we’ll handle as best we can.”

“We’re not alone,” Helena whispered, letting the words sink in and feeling the comfort they offered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next... Helena's Birthday.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adding a bit of spicy to the sweet. Wouldn't want you all to overload on sugar!  
> Warning: sexy times ahead...

“Mama?”

Christina stumbled from her bedroom, sleep still gluing her eyes and limbs as she wobbled her way excitedly to her parents’ room. Knocking on the door, she grasped the handle and pushed without waiting for the summons. “Mummy?”

The sound of hurried scrabbling reached her ears and she paused briefly in the doorway, tilting her head curiously at the women’s dishevelled appearance. Shrugging as she automatically assumed that they’d just woken up, she bounced onto the right side of the bed and into the inventor’s lap. “Happy birthday, Mummy!”

Helena pulled her daughter into a hug, grinning both at the sentiment from the girl and her fiancée’s swift shimmy to rearrange her nightwear. “Thank you, flower,” she gushed as she pulled away and kissed the nine-year-old’s cheek. “Did you get up so early just to wish me well?”

“Mm-hm,” Christina smiled, displaying a new gap proudly, punctuating her next words. “And to show you thi _sh_!” She opened her clasped fist, revealing a lower incisor.

“Another trip for the tooth-fairy,” Myka commented dutifully, her eyes sparkling with joy at her daughter’s enthusiasm for the loss of yet another milk tooth. Panic forgotten from the near miss moments ago, she pulled the girl’s face gently round to meet her gaze and inspected the gap. “It won’t be long before you’re due to see the dentist again.”

Christina’s expression fell slightly, a pitiful puppy-dog look taking the place of her earlier excitement. “Can’t Dr Calder check my teeth?”

“Love, Dr Calder has many skills but she is not a specialist in every part of the body,” HG explained patiently. She was still impressed and grateful that the woman had had enough experience to help deliver her son. “We have to see an optician for our eyes and a dentist for our teeth. That’s just the way of things. Now, what do you say we get breakfast started and allow your Mama some time to rise? No doubt your brother will be hungry before long.”

“Ok!” Christina high-tailed out of the bedroom, the sound of her carpet-cushioned thuds following after her.

Myka fell back into the pillows with a grateful rush of breath. “Oh my God, that was close!”

Helena lowered her lips to Myka’s. “The day when she sees more than she’s comfortable with will be the day she finally remembers to wait after knocking.”

Myka’s expression was not amused. “I’m guessing you never walked in on your parents in the throes of passion?”

“No,” Helena admitted. “Though I found my grandparents on more than one occasion embraced amorously. I soon learned to announce myself in advance.” She watched her lover’s thought process and knew Myka wasn’t convinced that Christina would survive catching them in the act. “Darling, we will of course continue to be cautious, but if it does ever happen, she will be neither the first nor the last.”

“I had plans for you today,” Myka replied with a pout, a hand reaching up to trace the curve of a cheek.

HG’s eyes lit up. “There’s still time.” Green eyes appeared momentarily confused. “There are many dark corners at the bed and breakfast,” she whispered into the shell of an ear. She felt the shiver that ran the length of the younger woman’s body and forced herself to move away. A brief glance back at the wanton vision she was leaving behind made her long for those shadows filled with promise.

Myka’s one ‘absolutely cannot fail’ wish for this day was to bring her fiancée to an earth-shattering climax. She had been more than ready to get back on that horse for two weeks now, following shortly on from their date, and frustration was beginning to build in her veins like liquid fire. Other than a few tender and/or heated make-out sessions, she had not made love to her bride-to-be for over two months and she couldn’t begin to fathom how they had made it this long without that vital connection.

Helena had chuckled when a slack-jawed Myka had revealed this little fact to her. She confessed to having counted the days but was otherwise unperturbed by the knowledge.

_“It is no hardship to wait when I do so enjoy watching you throw yourself into being mother for our children.”_

Once Myka found her carnal appetites returning however, parenthood seemed to surge into high-gear once again. Fredrick’s regularly timed feeds shifted so that he woke more often during the night and was suddenly grizzly through the day, demanding constant attention while he was awake.

When she or Helena were not consumed with trying to keep the boy happy, Christina wanted to go to the park, or play kitchen chemistry, or invite Claudia over for a tea-party in her tree-house/fort. The girl had tentatively begun to make friends with one or two of the local children who attended her birthday party too and Myka spent the occasional afternoon chaperoning her daughter on play-dates while Helena met at the Warehouse to discuss their future with the mystical entity.

On top of their day-to-day vicissitudes, they planned to travel to Wyoming again at the end of the month to let their daughter spend a weekend out with Adelaide and her scout group. From there, they were going to take a short plane ride over the border into Canada. After reading about the beauty of the maples in autumn and the history of the country’s ties with England, Christina was eager to see the place for herself, while her parents simply found it a logical step in their efforts to travel more.

Despite initial misgivings, Myka found that she was not unfulfilled at home with her children. She missed being an active agent like one might miss a favourite hobby that they no longer had time for, but the pang of that absence paled in comparison to the joy that filled her heart from time spent with her loved ones. Though her body thrummed with frustration now whenever her time alone with her lover was interrupted, she was placated by the knowledge that, by prolonging their time apart, the moment they craved would be all the sweeter.

* * * * *

Helena tried not to roll her eyes self-consciously as she entered the bed and breakfast ahead of her fiancée and was immediately met by a wall of people all shouting at her.

“Happy birthday!”

Claudia broke from the mass of bodies, skipping towards her with a comically large badge with the number one hundred and forty-nine emblazoned on its sparkling surface. HG narrowed her eyes but stood dutifully still to accept the ‘gift’. She sighed internally, two halves of her inner thoughts battling for control over her responses. For too long now, she’d given precedence to the more serious side of her personality; the side that always found Pete’s displays of childish abandon tedious, or eventually grew exasperated by long games of make-believe with her daughter. The side that she tried to repress more often than not these days, in favour of making her family happy.

She would always prefer the sort of dry, sarcastic banter that Myka indulged in with her and intellectual pursuits that challenged her abilities to use logic and solve puzzles. These things she always found entertaining.

However, somewhere buried under the years of pain and anger, there was the memory of a young girl who had delighted in finding hide-aways and pretending to explore the globe with her china-doll, Eliza. The young girl who had crawled into bed with her brother on cold nights to tell fantastical stories about things that only existed in her imagination. The girl who perched on her grandfather’s knee and tugged at his beard so that he would break from his work to pull faces at her.

It was the memory of that little girl’s unending enthusiasm for life and the pursuit of all things illogical, which made her smile belatedly at her friends and family. This group of professional adults reverting to the traditional post-card birthday celebration was, quite frankly, ridiculous, but she appreciated it nonetheless. A sardonic grin pulled at her mouth and a snort of amusement escaped her lips as she let her thoughts run wild and imagined Artie sat at his piano, ready to lead them all in a round of musical chairs.

A hand on her lower back and a whispered ‘play nice’ halted any thought that threatened to follow and, resigning herself to her fate, Helena allowed Claudia and Christina to drag her through the hallway into the living room.

Streamers, banners and balloons littered every surface and expanse of wall, offering the revellers multiple reminders of the inventor’s advanced age.

“Do you know, Mummy, that makes me one hundred and twenty-four!” The boisterous nine-year-old exclaimed as the room filled. “Is it time for cake yet?”

“Yeah, old lady,” Pete called over Myka’s shoulder. “Where’s the cake at? I’ve got the fire extinguisher ready.” Narrowed eyes shot in his direction and a low ‘oof’ escaped him as an elbow connected with his solar plexus. “Sorry, Mykes,” he gasped.

Helena smirked and took up prime position in the elaborately decorated birthday chair. Christina bounced helplessly by her side and with swift arms, she pulled the girl into her lap.

Last year, she barely paid attention to the fact that she had grown another year older. Her child had been returned to her and, as far as she was concerned at that point, nothing could top the joy she felt in having her angel once more in her arms. Now, as she gazed across the sea of faces and found her lover and the precious bundle of energy in her arms, she realised how incredibly lucky she really was.

A dozen voices faded into white noise as the inventor found her attention consumed by heated emerald. She read the intention behind her fiancée’s eyes with sharp, puncturing intensity and knew that their thoughts were of a kind. _How long will it take to open a few gifts?_ she thought absently.

Long, as it turned out. Not to mention time spent chatting to various guests about how much she was enjoying herself, or how much Christina was enjoying herself, or how much Fredrick had grown since the same time only three days ago! Her patience waned; crumbling piece by piece as the familiar feel of warm fingers on the nape of her neck, or hip, or thigh plunged her thoughts into purely x-rated territory. She knew that she would wait for Myka forever if needed but it didn’t follow that the wait wouldn’t drive her to distraction in the meantime.

Three hours passed torturously. Guests eventually found their own distractions and, after Fredrick finished his lunch and went down for a nap, Helena whispered two hoarse words into Myka’s ear before slinking like a shadow from the room.

Myka felt anticipation coil in her abdomen and let her eyes follow her lover’s retreating form. She noticed the same lull in the atmosphere and realised abruptly that no one was paying any attention to her now that her arms were not filled with an adorable little boy. Rather than feeling offended by the knowledge that her current level of popularity correlated directly to her children, she took one more look around the room, made sure that no one was watching and followed her partner’s retreating figure.

The moment the laundry room door clicked shut behind her, lips and hands found her own and the length of Helena’s body pressed her against the hard, wooden surface. Fingers entwined with hers, stroking wantonly, promising and leaving sparks in their wake as the inventor’s mouth teased along her lips. Myka hummed and pushed closer, her mouth opening to taste more, only to find herself denied, Helena having retreated just beyond her reach. Green eyes fluttered open to find a gentle smirk beginning to fade in dark eyes. They gazed at one another as hearts beat in tandem, the heat in their eyes slowly being replaced by a depth of love that swirled around the room and pulled them both in.

Myka tugged her hands from Helena’s grasp and placed them on either side of the Brit’s jaw. Thumbs explored the plains of her lover’s strong features, her mind working extra hard to commit every last detail to memory. “I love you... So much,” she whispered as her gaze met warm mahogany once again. She watched with complete understanding as HG’s eyes became glassy and her throat worked to find the right sentiment to express her feeling.

Helena gave up trying to swallow around the words that were stuck in her throat. Nothing she said could ever truly express what this woman meant to her anyway. Instead, she pushed her hands under the back of Myka’s shirt, spreading her fingers for maximum skin-to-skin contact, and lowered her lips once more to Myka’s mouth, capturing all of the delicious textures, tastes and sounds therein.

Myka tunnelled her fingers into inky locks and held her lover tightly, preventing any possibility of another retreat. The inventor’s tongue made love to her own, the strokes full of passion and devotion, each caress making her knees increasingly weak.

Unaware of how long they’d been lost in their embrace or how much noise they might be making, the sound of their daughter’s voice and a hesitant tapping on the door reluctantly dragged them back to their surroundings. Helena sank against Myka’s neck and they both breathed heavily for several long seconds. Leena’s gentle tones drew their unwitting intruder away but both women were suddenly very cognizant of where they were and who was around.

HG retreated from her hiding place and leant in to kiss Myka softly. A hand withdrew from its warm cave beneath the brunette’s shirt so it could move to play with soft curls. “I think our little princess is due for an absurdly early night, don’t you?”

Myka chuckled against her fiancée’s mouth and deepened their kiss for a few blissful moments, deliberately keeping her hands away from temptation by wrapping them around HG’s lapels. “Leena did offer to have her over night,” she reminded herself as she leant back against the door. “It wouldn’t be the first time she’s stayed over here.”

Helena’s fingers brushed a few unruly strands of hair back from her lover’s forehead. “I know you’ve been feeling particularly protective over our children since Fredrick’s birth but I think Christina would be over the moon with the suggestion.” The corner of her mouth turned up in amused thought. “Since we are already aware that her stay would not be an imposition, it does seem a shame to waste such an opportunity.”

“Mmm yes,” the American grinned into another brief kiss. “It does indeed.”

Eventually managing to leave each other alone in order to exit the laundry room and rejoin to party, the couple made their way into the living room where they both found themselves abruptly weighed down by bags containing HG’s presents.

“Guys?” Myka gazed round at her friends, who all appeared alarmingly pleased with themselves, and waited for them to explain what was going on.

Helena caught on quickly and cleared her throat. “Erm, darling? I do believe we are being thrown out.” Her raised eyebrow questioned those gathered but she hardly needed an answer.

“Mykes,” Pete stage-whispered to gain his friend’s attention. “This gift’s for both of you. Now, go get bi-zay.”

The brunette flushed several shades darker and glared at her best friend as he fist-pumped her shoulder. To the rest, she tried half-heartedly to protest. “We can’t just _leave_.”

“We were considering asking Christina if she would like to stay for the night,” HG added as she placed a hand on her partner’s shoulder and rubbed soothing circles with her thumb.

“It’s already sorted,” Claudia declared, bouncing off the arm of the sofa where she’d perched and clapping her hands in delight. “A-ah!” she pointed suddenly at Myka, halting any further comment. “We broke into your house, Petie and I, stole PJs for CJ, and raided the fridge for Tiny Terror’s next two meals. So go,” she made elaborate arm gestures towards the front door. “Take your smoochies and make the most of them. Preferably where they’re nowhere near my unmentionables.”

The conflicted gratitude and fear in green eyes stalled the inventor before anyone could begin to force them to leave. She threw a pleading look in Leena’s direction.

Taking pity on the couple, the owner of the bed and breakfast stepped calmly forward and took Myka’s hand. “Take the rest of the afternoon to yourselves. You deserve it. And don’t worry so much. I’ll bring Fredrick home so you can give him his last feed before bed. I know you’re not ready to have him gone all night yet.”

Myka’s body visibly relaxed and she finally managed to muster a smile. All of the butterflies she’d been feeling earlier returned to dance around her belly and she reached out to entwine her fingers with Helena’s.

After checking on their snoozing prince and bidding farewell to Christina, whose profuse thanks reminded Myka forcefully that distance was sometimes a good thing, they left the bed and breakfast hand in hand and strolled the short distance home.

Entering the house, both women were hit by the unusual stillness. HG eyed her lover’s stance and sensed that Myka needed a moment to herself to adjust. She brushed a hand over the brunette’s hip and kissed her cheek.

“I’m going to put the kettle on. Would you like something to slake your thirst, darling?” She wandered off towards the kitchen, throwing a smile behind her at the blush that drifted up to Myka’s hairline.

Helena’s blatant flirting caught the younger agent unawares and her feet, which already seemed glued to the spot, felt as if they lost all function. The absurdity of nerves taking over her body caused a derisive snort to explode from her nose and throat. That Helena could still make her feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time was a torturous gift.

For a moment, she closed her eyes and took a breath. The time spent in the laundry room came flooding back to her mind and that familiar warmth she associated with her fiancée’s close proximity tingled along her spine. Letting the sensation calm her racing heart, she peeled her soles from the floorboards and crept towards the kitchen.

Helena had her back to the door. A hand stirred a teaspoon idly as she stared out at the sun-drenched garden. She deliberately ignored her partner’s approach, a simple, beatific smile pulling at her lips as she felt arms slip around her waist and the length of Myka’s body lie flush against her own.

Having decided to grab the proverbial bull by the horns, Myka spread her hands possessively along the waistband of the inventor’s slacks, pushing beneath the hem of her shirt with no preamble. She buried her nose into raven hair and breathed in her lover’s intoxicating scent, a contented hum vibrating once again in the back of her throat.

“Eager now, are we?” HG teased even as a shiver chased her words and made them catch.

“Shh,” Myka insisted firmly. “No talking, just...” Her words trailed off with her thoughts, once hand jumping up to push smooth strands from the path her lips desired.

As hungry kisses inched along her neck and shoulders, Helena’s eyes drifted closed and a hand reached up to feel for the back of her lover’s head. Fingers bunched reflexively into wild curls and pulled Myka’s mouth tighter, silently begging for more.

Myka ran her hands roughly from her lover’s navel, over lower ribs, to glide around the underside of the inventor’s bra. Helena’s grip on her hair tightened and she felt a tremble run the length of her fiancée’s body. The Brit was already close and after a quick brush of a thumb over a nipple, her left hand dove for the buttons of HG’s trousers.

As knowing fingers made short work of the fastenings and slipped deftly among a tangle of coarse curls, Helena felt the strength in her legs weaken. The hand that wasn’t buried in her fiancée’s hair clamped onto the work-surface in front of her and her head fell heavily against Myka’s shoulder.

Her body was crying out for her lover’s attention and had been for weeks. If her partner had not broached the subject, she knew she would have made her needs known by now, but that wouldn’t have removed the demands of their children or their own exhaustion. Patience had been the only option and now, she was reaping the rewards.

“Myka...”

A sound halfway between a growl and a gasp escaped Myka at the feel of copious wetness easing the passage of her fingers through soft folds. With no desire to take her time, she used her free hand to tug Helena’s slacks and underwear down several inches and pressed her lover into the faux-marble counter.

 “Oh, darling,” Helena moaned softly, her eyes shut, lips pulling short breaths from the air and her body rocking instinctively against her partner’s hand, seeking closer contact. She finally let go of wild locks to reach for Myka’s busy hand. Gripping it tightly, she moved it to where she needed it most and released a strangled groan when her lover filled her in one, fluid thrust.

They moved together, their uneven breathing and desperate sounds of encouragement filling the air as the inventor climbed ever closer to her climax. She let go of Myka’s arm to press her own fingers against a small bundle of nerves and a few swift strokes sent her crashing into her orgasm, a low groan of approval accompanying it as her legs wobbled.

Myka caught her fiancée with one arm around her middle, supporting the suddenly spend body while the tips of her fingers continued to stroke the walls of their quivering cave. She felt Helena sag against the counter top and reluctantly pulled her hand free to wrap both of her arms around the inventor’s waist as she painted soft kisses along the straining tendons of her neck.

“You are so incredibly beautiful,” the brunette whispered against the shell of an ear, her voice husky with restrained desire.

Helena chuckled and eventually opened her eyes. She turned in the embrace, oblivious to the feel of her trousers slipping down to her knees or the air catching against sensitive and exposed skin. She only had eyes for Myka and every spare thought centred on making her fiancée feel the incredible satisfaction that now thrummed along her own veins. Her hands fell to the brunette’s hips and she walked Myka back a couple of steps until the younger woman’s bottom caught the edge of a stool.

The Brit’s lips crashed into Myka’s, swallowing a surprised gasp as her thumbs tugged at loose fitting jeans, easing the material out of her way. The minute her fiancée found a seat, she pulled the denim over thighs, knees and calves, until the mass lay bunched on the floor around a pair of sneakers. Hands wound behind knees to guide legs around her waist and she felt sock-clad feet finding purchase on her lower back. Myka’s fingers bunched in her hair, nails scratching lightly at her scalp and pulling a whimper from deep inside.

“Myka,” she murmured against moist lips.

Helena took a moment to slow down as she lifted the brunette’s t-shirt and cupped twin peaks. Knowing from experience that her lover’s breasts were still very sensitive, the inventor kept her explorations gentle.

Myka appeared to have other ideas though and, barely breaking their kiss, she retrieved one of the Victorian’s hands and placed it amidst a mix of tangled curls. “Touch me, Helena. I can’t wait any longer.”

HG obliged willingly, excitement prickling along her nerve endings as she briefly teased Myka’s entrance and slipped inside. A hiss against the corner of the Brit’s mouth quickly became a series of hitched moans and squeaks as the American clung to her lover like she was a life raft and succumbed to the rhythmic waves of desire rolling over her.

Not possessing the presence of mind to prolong their kisses, Myka let her forehead rest against Helena’s and tried to keep her lidded gaze locked on the liquid lust watching her. Stool legs scraped incongruously against the tiled floor while heavy breaths rent the air. Neither sound disturbed the lovers in their embrace.

_Too fast_ , Myka thought as she recognised the throbbing heat overtaking her limbs. She was suddenly disappointed that her body had surrendered to her fiancée’s attentions so quickly. She wanted to savour this moment, to spend another minute, an hour, a day, basking in this feeling of pure bliss as her soul mate claimed her and sent her spiralling into a chaotic jumble of spent nerves. For a moment, she tried to resist. Tried to pull back the reins and begin again but it was too late. The seductive taste of her completion was sweet in her mind and with another skilful twist of Helena’s fingers, her eyes slammed shut and her head rocked backward, a sharp cry tearing from her throat.

* * * * *

The sofa followed their excursion in the kitchen and then the landing at the top of the stairs and a detour in the shower, with the idea that they should probably clean up a bit, before the couple finally found themselves cuddled up in bed, recovering after another vigorous bout that saw them getting sweaty all over again.

Myka’s leg was thrown over the inventor’s hip, her thigh resting temptingly close to a part of her fiancée’s body that she had become lovingly reacquainted with over the course of the afternoon. Her head lay against a shoulder while one hand nestled contentedly between Helena’s breasts, feeling the steady rise and fall of her breathing.

“Do you think perhaps we should see to another hunger, love?” Helena’s fingers continued to slide through the brunette’s hair, giving no impression that she was in any hurry. “No doubt Christina will be calling soon and Leena will be arriving with Fredrick.”

“I don’t want to move,” Myka grumbled into Helena’s neck. Almost immediately, a low growl make them both pause and chuckle. “I suppose one slice of cake and a sandwich wasn’t much though.” She stretched like a cat, a perverse satisfaction arising from her aching muscles and the odd abrasion. Rolling out of bed, she threw on an old button down shirt and sleep shorts, watching from the corner of her eye as Helena followed suit.

In the kitchen, they reheated some frozen lasagne and distracted one another with lingering touches and stolen kisses. At the dining table, as they finished their meal and sat, sipping tea, Helena propped a tablet between them and dialled Claudia’s number.

As the call connected and an image appeared on the screen, it was obvious that the red head had prepared for this. Christina was kneeling next to Claudia, with an arm thrown over her shoulder, while Fredrick sat in the techie’s lap, an expression of innocent bewilderment painted across his chubby features. Myka felt a swelling bubble of emotion fill her chest and reached for Helena’s hand.

“Mummy!” the nine-year-old practically shouted through the connection, causing her brother’s head to wobble back and forth as he tried to connect his sister’s excitement with the disembodied vision of two familiar faces. “It’s still your birthday; Freddy and I made this for you...” She disappeared momentarily from view and then reappeared holding a large piece of paper with tiny hand and foot prints around the border, and a painstakingly drawn picture story covering much of the middle. “Do you like it?”

HG couldn’t contain her joy at the girl’s thoughtfulness. Her gaze drifted over to the sideboard where a sculpture, made of carefully selected stones, depicted their little family – her first present of the day. Tears prickled the backs of her eyes. “I adore it, my love. I know just where I want to put it.”

Fredrick, after gazing at the moving pictures with rapt fascination for several minutes, at last decided to join the conversation. With a loud ‘eh!’, he lunged forward, catching his baby sitter by surprise and drawing alarmed gasps from his parents, who jumped to grab him, despite the fact that they couldn’t actually help. Thankfully, Claudia’s reflexes were good and the hand that was already wrapped around his waist tightened, preventing him from diving from her lap. All three adults breathed a sigh of relief as the red head secured the boy back on her lap and smiled sheepishly into the camera.

Appearing oblivious to his almost disaster, Freddie squeaked and wobbled before pushing half a fist into his mouth. Now that the images of his parents were no longer smiling or talking, he quickly lost interest.

Myka fidgeted, her heart still beating unusually fast. “Claude, please don’t take this the wrong way,” she prefaced, knowing what her request would sound like after what had just happened. “But do you think Leena would mind bringing Freddy home a little earlier than we agreed?”

Claudia flushed, her friend’s words hitting her gut no matter how much Myka might not want to hurt her feelings. She shook it off, recognising that the longing in her fellow agent’s face was not really her fault. “I’m sure she will when she’s finished cleaning up. Pete spilled the paint and then stepped in it.” She sniggered and then quickly covered her mouth. At the couple’s curious expressions, she explained, “I may have neglected to tell him that fact.”

“Uncle Pete had a time-out,” Christina giggled. “He had to stay in the garden while he cleaned all the paint off his shoes!” In a somewhat overly-dramatic move, the nine-year-old covered her face with both hands and rolled sideways onto the couch, her image disappearing temporarily from view.

A small smile replaced the lingering distress on Agent Bering’s face. She could always count on her little girl to brighten her spirits. “I wonder what Lila’s going to say,” she joked.

“Pete says he’s going to hide behind Sophie and hope she doesn’t notice,” the techie elaborated. “I don’t think he’s really thought that one through.”

“Does he ever?” HG asked in an aside before addressing her daughter again, “Christina, I think it’s time for you to start getting ready for bed. Are you staying there for breakfast or would you prefer a cooked breakfast at home?”

“May we make crepes?” Christina asked hopefully.

“Very well,” Helena conceded, feeling more accommodating than usual. “Not with chocolate though,” she added as an afterthought. _I will maintain some boundaries,_ she told herself, though she knew that her standards were slipping with her immersion into parenthood in the modern world. For some reason, she couldn’t seem to see that as a bad thing anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: some serious discussions about the future...


	16. Chapter 16

Tension and cautious curiosity filled the atmosphere of the covert meeting place. Seated around the room were three regents, an imposing caretaker and two agents.

With Autumn well and truly established; everywhere they looked, the landscape boasted a myriad of burnt orange, red and yellow where green used to be, and chilly nights crept upon them with alarming speed. Winter would arrive before too long and agents Bering and Wells needed to be informed of the changes that were about to take place.

Mr Kosan cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Before we discuss the reasons for our meeting here, I want to caution you all. The future of the Warehouse is uncertain and we are all aware that certain elements within our midst are not to be trusted. Agent Nielsen, Leena and Agent Donovan are already aware of what I am planning to divulge today. Agents Lattimer and Jinks, Coombs and Wickes will be spoken with at our discretion. I must ask that nothing leaves this room today. We understand that you may wish to confer with your colleagues. We will inform you of when and where you may do so. Is that understood?”

Myka nodded immediately but Helena’s instinctive aversion to being told what to do caused her some hesitance. She clicked her tongue and frowned at the regents, considering her options carefully.

“Agent Wells, by now I thought that you would have grasped the depth of our reliance on your family’s past and future,” Adwin commented patiently, any annoyance he felt carefully schooled out of his tone. “It is for your family’s protection that I ask for your cooperation.”

This explanation sobered the inventor’s natural obstinacy and her features softened. “Of course,” she allowed. “I think I can speak for Myka when I say that we will wish to discuss our thoughts in private. Is that advisable or are there concerns that we may be overheard anywhere outside of this room?”

Her fiancée’s genuine concern made Agent Bering’s heart beat a little faster. “Are we being watched?”

“As per our reports, we are keeping tabs on any suspicious activities,” Mr Heath told them from across the table. “There is nothing yet to suggest that any of our agents are in danger.”

“And you have your own brand of protection don’t forget,” Jane Lattimer added. “You’re safe inside your home.”

“We are simply being cautious,” Adwin finished for his colleagues. “I think we are all aware that we’re playing a long game. Which brings me to today’s meeting.” Seeing that he had their attention now, he nodded at the caretaker and sat back, offering her the floor.

Being a direct woman of few words, Irene laced her fingers together and leant forward. “The Warehouse is preparing to move.” She paused to let the thought sink in. Both agents lost a bit of their colour but said nothing. “I’m not certain when the process will begin but it will happen and we need to prepare for that eventuality.”

Myka and Helena were lost for words for several long seconds, a thousand thoughts flitting through both of their minds until they seemed to settle on the same concern. With a brief exchange of glances, Helena asked after their daughter’s fate.

“If you agree, she will be transported along with the entire contents,” Irene told the concerned parents. She went on to explain how the process worked and that they would find out the name of the new location before it actually began so that the corner stone and hammer could be moved into place there. As a result, there would be time to make plans and change them if desired. “There are other options of course, should you want to consider them. I assure you that every precaution will be taken to ensure her protection.”

It was Helena’s hand that squeezed Myka’s now and the couple continued to sit in contemplative silence for a few minutes more. At long last, the inventor released a steady breath and faced the regents. “Whether we like it or not, the Warehouse has a vested interest in our daughter’s future. I believe,” she paused to glance at her fiancée, searching for her opinion as she added, “That Christina would be safer remaining within its care.”

Myka nodded, taking her partner’s words onboard. “We should still look at all the options but I agree with Helena. The Warehouse is the reason we have our family. It brought us together for a reason and I don’t think it would let anything bad happen to our little girl while she’s in there.”

“What will happen to us, as agents?” HG wondered next.

The head regent seemed pleased with how well they were taking the news so far and brought his hands together atop the table. “Having discussed the unique situation with those present here, we agree that, excluding Mr Wickes and Miss Coombs, we should retain the services of the current agents in a supportive capacity.”

Myka frowned, reading between the lines. “Are Jason and Meghan under suspicion?”

“We are all under a degree of suspicion,” Jane informed them gravely. “In light of what happened with Leena shortly after Pete and Myka joined the Warehouse, we can’t be too careful. The Warehouse will be populated with new agents, selected from its new location, but of course, we will still be in regular contact with its caretaker.”

“Mrs Fredrick,” Myka immediately assumed.

Irene smiled softly and shook her head. “I’m pleased and saddened to announce that, with the imminent departure of the Warehouse, my tenure is also coming to an end. Miss Donovan says that she is ready to ‘step up to the plate’ however.”

“What will happen to you?” the brunette agent immediately wondered, her voice full of concern.

“I will grow older, finally,” Mrs Fredrick answered calmly. “You need not worry about me, Myka. I have watched my husband, my children and my grandchildren grow old, and with most of them, I have endured the hardship of watching them pass on. Old age and death do not trouble me.” She touched the young mother’s arm fondly, offering as much comfort as she could. “It will be like greeting the night after a very long day.”

“So, Claudia will be in charge?” Helena intimated as she pushed down her own feelings on the subject of Mrs Fredrick’s retirement.

“The regents will remain as the figureheads of the Warehouse,” Mr Kosan told Agent Wells firmly, reminding her of their authority. He paused briefly to let her stew in that thought before adding what he hoped would sooth any offence taken, “We would like to propose that you and Myka join us, as unofficial regents.”

Having opened her mouth to make a smart retort, the Brit snapped it shut. She appeared to eyeball him for a moment, perhaps to figure out if he was serious, before eventually finding her words again. “Unofficial?”

Don chuckled a little at her response. After debating over this decision for weeks, once they came to their agreement, he had nailed the Victorian’s reaction with uncanny accuracy. “Making your membership official would mean paperwork and signatures from all of the regents. As you are aware, we do not trust all of our colleagues.”

“By accepting our offer though, you will have access to everything you need,” Regent Lattimer clarified, smiling at the women’s astounded expressions.

“After those requests are cleared through me,” Adwin amended, shooting a look at his friend.

“What exactly will our roles entail then?” Myka questioned once she had taken in their offer. “How will they be different to our current roles?”

“From an outside perspective, they will perhaps not be,” Irene answered. “You can continue your civilian lives, raising your children, exploring the world and locating the occasional artefact when it suits you. We think it best that you do not have contact with the new agents; they need not know of the Warehouse’s uncertain future.”

“I would want to know,” Myka insisted, thinking back to all the times that Artie had kept things from her and Pete. She turned to share her mild outrage with her partner but found only opposition. “Helena?”

The inventor looked deep into her fiancée’s trusting gaze and smiled apologetically. “Love, would you trust complete strangers with our daughter’s destiny?”

Myka flushed and swallowed, quickly realising what was at stake and why they couldn’t let anyone else in on their complicated secrets. “Shit,” she cursed as the reality slapped her in the face. “We’re going to have to be so careful,” she admonished herself, feeling her emotions climbing on top of one another to break free.

“We have another proposal that may help with that,” Mr Heath interrupted calmly. “In light of family being so important...”

Jane smiled at the man and took her cue. Selfishly, she had wanted this good news to come from her. “We agree that you should be able to bend a couple of rules, particularly the one which states that you cannot tell more than one other person about the Warehouse.” She waited to see if the couple would catch on and when they exchanged a look of shock, she continued, “Myka, you have leave to explain everything to your parents, your sister and Tracy’s significant other, if you trust them.”

“And of course, your children will need to learn of the Warehouse, when you both feel the time is right,” Irene added.

“Why?” the agents asked, almost simultaneously.

The head regent relaxed into his seat and began to explain. “A great responsibility has been placed upon your family’s shoulders. We feel it only fitting that those shoulders should have the firmest foundations. Bringing your parents and sister’s family into the fold, if only by allowing them to understand your unique relationship, would assist that.”

Regent Lattimer looked over at her son’s best friend and the former rogue agent and offered them an expression of empathy. “It isn’t easy to see your child or partner fighting dangerous odds for the sake of the greater good. You will need the support. Christina will need the support.”

Silence stretched throughout the room as the gravity of their situation weighed heavily on all of them for a time. Adwin shot a concerned glance at Irene, who returned the look with a slow blink that cautioned patience. Myka and Helena conducted a non-verbal conversation beside each other and eventually, their expressions relaxed, matching smiles replacing their concern.

“We would like time to consider your offer carefully, but I am certain that our answer will be yes,” HG answered for herself and her wife-to-be.

“Thank you,” Myka added softly. “We can’t help but worry sometimes, about the future, but you’re right; having our family’s support can only make us stronger. We’re going to be ready for whatever comes. Christina will not have to face anything on her own.”

* * * * *

Within a week of the meeting with the regents and Mrs Fredrick, Helena and Myka’s house was full of the sound of voices chattering and laughing. After their weighty talk about the future, they both felt that an impromptu gathering was needed to make the most of their time together. Who knew how long they had left before they were no longer within five minutes walk of each other? Would they still take the time from their busy lives to meet for coffee, chat about the state of the world or just appreciate the odd family they had become?

They would continue to meet when it became necessary to discuss the Warehouse of course. While Myka and Helena were still (ostensibly) considering their offer to become unofficial regents, Pete and Steve were happy to remain as freelance agents. In one way or another, they were all tied to the mystical monstrosity.

Gathering around the dining table, the group began to tuck into their meal with gusto. It was a little tighter around the table compared to the previous year; two highchairs forced them all to get a little cosier, but no one really complained.

Two couples sat at either end of the table, opposite their other halves, so they could split their attention between their meal and the baby beside them. In the centre, Christina sat beside Leena, opposite Steve and Claudia, with whom she had begun a silent mash-mountain competition.

Carrots acted as supports to prevent the base of her construction from slipping as she used the tip of her knife to arrange peas in a spiral from foot to summit. Strips of carefully sliced beef carved patterns in the surface to create cracks and the young girl gave the end sculpture a final, critical glance before gazing up in triumph at her red-headed friend.

“Now you’re just showing off,” Claudia responded, ducking down to stare between the salt and pepper pots. “But the student,” she added with a victorious grin as she turned her plate to reveal her own masterpiece. “Has yet to become the teacher.”

Christina’s mouth dropped open slightly at the vision of a mountaineer reaching for a ‘rock’, a ‘rope’ holding them close to the mash-mountain. “Wha...?”

Myka had been keeping an eye on the game between her friend and daughter while Helena kept their son entertained. She chuckled silently to herself as her daughter pouted dramatically and the future caretaker spared no feeling with her victory dance.

HG turned from her son’s toothless grin to share a thought with her fiancée and spotted the antics. With a raised eyebrow and half a grin, the inventor shook her head. “Children,” she addressed her daughter and fellow agent. “You are supposed to eat your food, not play with it.”

“It’s art, Mummy,” Christina protested as she scooped a forkful of mash and shoved it into her mouth, causing her cheeks to bulge.

“You’ve been spending too much time with your Uncle Pete,” HG admonished lightly. “I know you have better table manners than that.”

The nine-year-old swallowed, washed the food from her mouth with a sip of water and grinned cheekily at the older Victorian. Helena rolled her eyes and sighed while Myka snorted into her drink.

Further down the table, Agent Lattimer, true to his nature, had a mouthful of food while arguing across the table with his new mission buddy. “We’re gonna be covert agents. The undercover elite, Steve’O. We need a code-name and _Lynx_ just makes sense. Lattimer and Jinks. Get it?”

“Yes, as difficult as that was to put together, I still don’t think we need a code-name,” Steve disagreed. “Our actual names are less conspicuous.”

“And boring,” Pete insisted. “This is our best chance to be awesome. I mean, I’m already mostly there,” he winked at Lila and flexed comically, drawing a few chuckles. “But you need my help, dude.”

Claudia leaned over her plate slightly, smirking mischievously at the overgrown child. “You may be close to the epitome of awesomeness Lattimer, but my bestie is fab-u-lous,” she announced with attitude, head jerking from side-to-side and punctuated with clicking fingers.

Steve buried his head in his hands and groaned. “I really wish you’d forget my alter-ego.”

“Never,” the red head whispered in his ears. “You know I live for the moments you let her loose.” She stared at the side of his head, grinning, waiting.

Agent Jinks rolled his eyes, knowing he’d brought this on himself. Thinking it was best to indulge her and get it over with, he puffed himself up and turned to face his best friend. “Girlfriend, neither you nor the ‘Rock ‘em Sock ‘em’ robot here can handle the real me,” he insisted, putting as much sass into his words as possible.

Several grins lit up around the table, including Helena, who couldn’t help but remember dear friends she had once known, but it was the sudden gurgling chuckle rising from Fredrick’s lungs that threw the entire table into stitches.

Agent Jinks blushed slightly and appeared quietly pleased with himself. “See, Lattimer? I’m down with the young crowd.”

“Oh you think that’s impressive? Watch this...” Pete turned to his daughter and picked two parsnips from the serving dish on his left – his own plate having been empty for some time while he continued to reach for leftovers.

Knowing exactly where this demonstration was heading, Lila calmly grasped her boyfriend’s wrist and removed the food from his fingers. “Babe, impressionable young minds around, remember?”

“Oh come on,” he protested, still grinning. “You let me do it at home!”

“I let you do a lot of things at home,” she responded, suggesting that it was a hardship, but the sparkle in her blue eyes said otherwise.

Pete let out a suggestive growl and grinned wider at the flush suffusing Lila’s cheeks. He waggled his eyebrows, which drew a giggle from the high chair next to him. Turning to his daughter, he repeated the action, and then puffed up his cheeks to blow a raspberry.

“See,” he turned back to Steve. “Awe-some!”

The odd conversation resumed around the table as Agent Jinks shook his head. “Doesn’t count when it’s your own child. She’s already got you wrapped around her little fingers.”

“That’s ‘cuz the ladies love the Pete-man,” Agent Lattimer countered. “Not that I would have difficulty with the other side,” he tipped his head at Steve.

After the chaos of their meal was cleared away, the babies went down for a nap while Christina brought an activity book to the table and Helena replenished their drinks. Once they were seated again, Myka caught her fiancée’s eye and made their announcement.

“As you’ve probably all guessed that we would, Helena and I have agreed to accept Mr Kosan’s offer to become unofficial regents.” She smiled as there were a series of whoops and congratulations around the room. “I didn’t think that I would be satisfied with anything but being an agent for a long time yet, but with all the things that have happened this year and knowing what it’s like to be a full-time mom, I have to say that I’m kind of excited about what we have planned.”

“My Mom’s gonna be thrilled, guys,” Pete told Myka and Helena with genuine enthusiasm. “She says they really need you two to be near the top, calling the shots. I don’t know about Steve, but I know I’m gonna feel much better working under the two of you.” He winked again and Lila smacked his arm. He threw it around her shoulder and she rolled her eyes but automatically leant in closer.

“Have you decided where you’d like to live?” Lila asked, smiling now as her boyfriend’s fingers trailed up and down her arm.

Christina perked up at the slight change in topic and looked expectantly at her mothers.

“We are still looking at Rapid City and Colorado Springs but the general consensus is near Denver.” Helena reached to her right to brush a hand over her daughter’s hair. “We are all rather partial to the larger city environment, but on the outskirts where there is more opportunity to find an element of wilderness.”

“We absolutely have to have a big back garden with a strong tree,” Christina explained conversationally. “I picked out three houses that I want to look at, and they’re all near parks and good schools if I decide I’d like to go.”

“We all like the look of Boulder,” Myka added. “On the edge of the city and the edge of the woods. Lots of opportunity for hikes and learning a few survival skills. Plus, easier access to the airport for those all-important family adventures.” The excitement in her voice was palpable as the prospect of finding firmer roots for her family; a place for her children to learn and grow, developed in her mind. “How about you two? Are you Univillers for life now?”

“We were waiting for you to buy your castle and offer us a wing,” Pete teased. “HG needs space to store all of her monocles and moustaches.”

Lila offered their friends a sheepish smile. “Since my work is flexible in regards to where we live and Pete says he should be close to Myka to make sure that she doesn’t find the stick that he removed,” she paused as a few titters rounded the table and the pseudo-siblings exchanged looks promising retribution and further teasing. “We’ve been looking at some of the smaller districts for something that we can afford.”

“Does that mean we’ll still be living close to each other?” A hopeful young voice immediately piped up.

“That’s the plan,” Agent Lattimer grinned at his niece. “When you have a family like ours, you have to move mountains to stick together,” he told her wisely.

For the next hour or so, they talked about the future; the efforts they would make to ensure that bonds remained strong, and for the adults, their responsibilities with the Warehouse.

As evening crept closer, the guests reluctantly bid the Bering and Wells family a fond farewell and returned to their respective homes. There was a strong feeling of contentment as the house fell quiet and the family returned to the living room.

Helena sat on the rug with Christina lying beside her and Freddy watching them closely from his bouncer. At three months old, he spent a lot of his time trying to crane his neck to get a good look at everything going on around him. While he couldn’t raise his head for very long yet, he was persistent and insisted on keeping a running commentary of his efforts while he had his parents’ and sister’s attention.

“Mummy,” the nine-year-old mumbled around the end of her pencil. Her brows scrunched together as she tapped the rubber against her chin and observed her brother. “When will Freddy learn to talk?”

“He’s learning now, my love,” the inventor smiled softly. “He’s listening all the time to us talking and he’s practising when he babbles. If you mean, ‘when will he say words that we can recognise?’, then I’m afraid you might have to wait for a while yet. You were almost eighteen months before you said your first word.” She paused as she thought back to that uncertain time and all of the concerns for her daughter that she’d struggled with as a single mother. “For a long time, we were worried that you wouldn’t catch on, but when you started, it was like you had begun a marathon with a sprint; one day nothing, and the next a string of prepositional phrases.”

Myka caught the conversation as she entered the room with a tray of nibbles and smiled as she remembered the pillow talk she and Helena had had on this subject a few months ago – it had been gratifying to learn that her daughter was so much like her as an infant. She found a space between her children, kissed her son’s head and began to help herself to food.

“What was it,” Christina’s curious tone rose above Freddy’s ‘chatter’. “My first word?”

“Cup,” HG answered, grinning as her daughter frowned.

“Cup?” the girl asked in disappointment and surprise. “I thought it might have been ‘Mummy’.”

“Well, as a matter of fact, it actually sounded like ‘bum’ which is fairly close to ‘mum’, if you want to think about it that way,” Helena teased.

Christina giggled and Fredrick paused in his monologue to gaze at her with anticipation. “I did not say _bum_!” she insisted.

“Well,” Helena began to retell the tale. “Plosive sounds can be harder to say. _Bum_ was the best you could manage. Charles and I pointed to a variety of items while you tried in vain to make your desires understood and in the end, you were content with your cup, so we agreed that you were trying to say ‘cup’.” The older agent paused to study her son for a moment before turning back to the nine-year-old. “Since my mother overheard our conversation and refused to acknowledge either Charles or I for the remainder of the evening, I decided that ‘bum’ was a very acceptable first word for my little angel.”

Christina grinned as she scrambled onto her knees and launched herself into her mother’s lap, almost knocking the wind out of the older Brit.

“Darling, you are getting much too big to be clambering all over me like this,” Helena complained half-heartedly.

“I’m still little,” Christina protested in a rare moment of infantile sulking that had manifested sometime around the end of Fredrick’s first week of life. Her Mummy fell back due to the increased weight and propped herself up by her elbows as the girl leaned over her.

“Indeed?” HG asked, a little breathlessly.

“Too little for trick and treat?” Myka added, knowing that the unspecified warning would grab the girl’s attention.

“No!” Christina cried in horror. After a moment of staring with her Mama, the girl smiled and turned back to the woman beneath her. “Am I really heavy, Mummy?” she asked as she bounced deliberately, her tone teasing.

“A little,” Helena conceded gently and then pretended to inspect her daughter’s figure. “I suspect it is because you are full of giggles as usual.”

Myka chuckled at the diagnosis while she tickled Freddy’s arms, delighting in his gummy-grin. “I wonder how you’ll get them all out?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

As fingers found her ribs, Christina gasped and tried to escape but it was too late, her fate was sealed - her attacker showed no mercy and she collapsed to the floor in a heap of gleeful spasms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: book shop shenanigans and shared secrets.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heading for the home stretch now...

“Your father was rather adamant that we were not to do this in the shop,” Helena murmured as her back hit the wall and her fiancée’s fingers slid under her shirt. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and they were visiting Myka’s parents for the weekend. The contrast to the year before was stark, but Helena didn’t think that being caught with her trousers down in the shop would endear her to her future in-laws. Her sense of adventure and desire for her fiancée eliminated most of her caution though. “I shouldn’t like to imagine how your mother would react if she found us like this.”

“They have my sister, Kevin and three grandchildren to keep them occupied,” Myka insisted, her dilated pupils honing in on a narrow path of skin that led to a valley of shadow. “We have time.”

Something about having Helena _here,_ in the HG Wells section of her parents’ shop, where she had spent so many hours as a teen immersed in the Victorian’s words, made the agent wild with desire. If either of her parents caught her doing this, she knew she would never be able to look them in the eye again, but caution took a vacation when her thoughts were so full of everything she wanted to do to her lover.

Helena wasn’t about to stop her fiancée. The wanton expression in those green eyes sent shivers down her spine and made certain body parts throb in anticipation. Reaching up with one hand, she began to unbutton her shirt, smirking inwardly as Myka’s gaze followed her every move and the brunette bit her lip to crush a soft moan.

The moment HG’s fingers reached the last fastening, Myka fell on her lover like a starving wolf, her mouth devouring creamy flesh as the muffled sound of a head hitting a wall reached her ears. Her hands pushed aside lapels of cotton and covered tender mounds, delighting in the feel of hardened nipples grazing her palms.

Knowing that she couldn’t possibly stay quiet while Myka touched her this way, Helena pulled her lover’s mouth back to her own and whimpered into the kiss.

* * * * *

Upstairs, Tracy watched her parents divide their affections between three attention-seeking children and smiled to herself. Kevin had been sitting with her, enjoying the chance to relax for a few minutes without leaping up every two seconds. Since their son had discovered the joys of mobility, they could barely take their eyes off him. Warren sat with him on his knee but as everything in the room took Daniel’s fancy, he quickly grew tired with grandpa’s lap and complained loudly, with a series of squeals and shouts, that he wanted to get down. Daddy grudgingly came to his father-in-law’s rescue.

With her husband no longer monopolising her attention, Tracy soon noticed her sister and Helena’s absence. She frowned, trying to decide how long they’d been gone and began to worry that it might have something to do with the bomb shell Myka had dropped on her a few weeks ago...

_It was just before Halloween. Four jack-o’-lanterns stood on Myka and Helena’s porch, plastic bats, spiders, skeletons and ghosts hung all around them, and in every visible window, cobwebs were painted. Tracy and Kevin made the trip in order to spend the weekend with her sister’s family so they could celebrate the festivities together for the first time with their children._

_As they reached the front door and thought to knock however, they came up short as Helena’s raised voice greeted them from within._

_“It is a day ear-marked to celebrate an amalgamation of pagan superstitions, early Roman gods and Christianity’s attempt to corner the market on a system of belief! Do you not think it is ludicrous to send our children out into the night, dressed as ghouls in order to blackmail our neighbours into giving them sweets?”_

_“Helena!” Myka cried in exasperation. “Times change. We’re not pagan, Roman or Christian, but we do celebrate Halloween because it’s a good excuse to get together with family and have fun. You’re happy enough to celebrate Christmas for crying out loud. What is your problem!?”_

_“Begging for treats is undignified,” the inventor answered sulkily and wandered off without another word, leaving Myka to growl in her wake._

_Having heard the car pull into the driveway and noticing the hovering shadows at the door, Myka took a deep breath and moved to let her sister in. “Hey, Trace,” she said with a strained smile. She pulled the woman into a hug and kissed her nephew’s head. “Come into the mad house why don’t you.”_

_The younger Bering sibling handed her bag to her husband and shot him a coded look. “Babe, will you take our bags up to our room, please?”_

_Kevin obliged and silently wished his wife luck. Once he was out of earshot, Tracy led Myka into the living room and leant in close. “What was_ that _all about?”_

_The agent rolled her eyes and flopped onto the couch. “A number of things... I think,” she replied. When her sister continued to stare at her, she knew that she was expected to elaborate. She began to count the grievances on her fingers, “She’s struggling with the equations for her latest invention, and that always makes her cranky. She’s pre-menstrual and she won’t admit that mother-nature has any sort of influence on her mood. And yesterday, Freddy rolled off the couch on her watch and she’s been freaking out about it ever since.” Myka rubbed a thumb over her eyebrow and sighed. “So she’s taking her mood out on religion centred celebrations. Particularly those that modern capitalism has chosen to exploit.” A short pause followed her controlled tirade, during which time Kevin returned and the agent was reminded of another concern hanging over hers and her fiancée’s heads. “She might also be anxious over the conversation we want to have with you guys.”_

_“About?” Tracy asked, immediately curious._

_“We have permission to talk to you about some of the classified aspects of our jobs,” she saw the heightened interest in their expressions and smiled a little. “And a lot of it will include some not so happy memories for Helena.”_

_“Is that why I haven’t been assaulted by a nine-year-old yet?” Mrs Littlewood asked._

_“Yes, she’ll be back later and Freddy’s just gone down so now might be the best time to get it over with.” Myka looked to the door and listened, as if her other half would miraculously appear. When she didn’t, the brunette excused herself and made her way upstairs._

_Knowing instinctively where her lover would be while her thoughts were in turmoil, Myka made her way to the nursery and found the inventor hovering over their son’s crib. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around the stiff figure and lowered her lips to the soft skin at the nape of a neck. Despite their heated words earlier, there was no lingering anger in her system. She had learned how to filter her reactions to the inventor’s eccentricities and, though she felt exasperated by Helena’s sometimes-random moods, a part of her actually enjoyed the moments they sparred with words._

_The Brit’s hand found her partner’s and tugged them into her own. “Are we starting now?”_

_“Mm-hm. I thought it best to just get it over with,” Myka responded logically. “They’re bound to have questions and they will probably be easier to deal with face-to-face.”_

_“Alright.” Despite agreeing the call to action, Helena continued to gaze at their baby boy for a moment longer. “He’ll be ok,” she muttered, mostly to reassure herself._

_“Yes, he will,” the American agreed. “I know you feel bad but it was barely a two foot drop, onto a cushion. It could have been worse and you’ll be more vigilant next time.”_

_Helena nodded and led them out of the nursery. “I hate losing control over my emotions like this,” she bemoaned. “What precisely did evolution intend when it decided that we should experience this monthly influx of hormones?”_

_Myka resisted teasing her partner further. Her cycle had yet to make a reappearance so there was no chance of synchronicity between their menstrual moods. “Probably to encourage males to instinctively search for ovulating females in an attempt to maximise the chance of reproduction. No point wasting all of that testosterone on a less receptive environment.”_

_“Hmm,” HG’s eyebrow rose, happily considering the science behind her fiancée’s hypothesis. “Shall I put the kettle on before we begin?” she enquired as they started down the stairs._

_Once they were all settled in the living room, adequate beverages and snacks available to all and Daniel happy for now with a swinging chair and frequent glances from his parents, Myka placed a hand on her partner’s knee. She turned to her sister and brother-in-law and began to spill secrets that she had kept for years now._

_“You know that when I moved to South Dakota, I stopped working with the Secret Service,” she reminded her younger sibling._

_“Eventually,” Tracy teased mildly, trying to ease the tension. “After Daddy was ill and you and Pete helped him out. Mom wouldn’t say much, only that it was like magic... Is this some secret government conspiracy? Should we be checking for bugs and phone taps?”_

_Myka allowed the young mother a moment to vent, wanting her sister to get all of her thoughts out now so they could address them. “No, but you should keep that thought in mind once you leave here.”_

_“Myka, what the hell?” Tracy blurted, feeling suddenly trapped and wishing that she wasn’t so curious to know more. “Are you guys in trouble?”_

_The older agent watched her future sister-in-law and her husband dart a quick look at each other and then their son. She could see the indecision and the conflict in their gazes. “You can’t get into trouble for knowing what we know, but we will need to fill you in on some background details before we can tell you what we need to, and in order to do that...”_

_“We need you to understand that you can’t discuss any of this outside of this house, with anyone.”_

_Tracy absorbed her sister’s serious but calm expression and slowly nodded. “Ok, I trust you.” She turned to her husband, who copied the gesture._

_Bracing herself, Myka quickly recalled the practise conversations she’d had with Helena and began. “We hunt items, artefacts that have special properties. These properties can make them seem magical. Dad came into contact with Edgar Alan Poe’s notebook. The book transferred Poe’s disturbed thoughts and emotions into Dad and, Pete and I managed to stop it before it could do any lasting damage.”_

_Mrs Littlewood stared in disbelief at the couple. “A book?”_

_“I can’t explain how,” Myka admitted. “Not really. But artefacts like that, countless more, have been collected over centuries, from all over the world, and taken to the Warehouse. That’s where we work.” She went on to explain how she and Pete had been selected for the job in the first place and described some of the more bizarre cases they’d worked on. The expressions on her sister and Kevin’s faces morphed between disbelief and wonder as they listened, enraptured._

_“If you weren’t the most sceptical person I know, I’d have a tough time believing any of this.” Tracy grinned slightly. “How on Earth did they manage to convince you that any of it was real without you telling them where to shove their job?”_

_Returning the look of amusement, Myka thought back to that first tour with Pete. “A number of things but, do you remember me telling you that I had a ferret?” Her sister nodded. “Well, he came out of a wishing kettle. There wasn’t much going back after that.”_

_“Ok. So assuming that we believe all of this, why do we need to know?” Tracy asked the pivotal question._

_“We need you to believe that the impossible is possible,” HG told them simply._

What Myka and Helena had divulged with them after that was nothing short of crazy, in the Littlewoods’ opinions, but by the end of the story, they really had no reason to disbelieve anything. Tracy spent the rest of the day watching her sister with her niece and remembering all the times she had wondered at the similarities between them. Not so much in looks perhaps, though those developed with each passing day, but in her mannerism, habits and overall demeanour. She also discovered a newfound interest in comparing her son and nephew. It was harder to find between the cousins but she spotted enough shared features with her parents and HG to be convinced.

As she wandered from her parents’ living quarters to the shop entrance, she couldn’t help but marvel at her sister’s life. She recalled the holiday to Boston and Myka’s obsessive insistence that she buy her puzzle box from one of the dusty thrift-shops she and their father loved so much. Had she known then that the prize inside the box would constitute part of Myka’s destiny, she’d have found it much more interesting but all of these budding nuances of fate had failed to register with any of them. And now? They were so entwined that there was no possibility of declining or pulling back. They were part of a real-life fairy tale, and her once geeky, dour sister was at the centre of it.

_What emergency could have driven the couple from the apartment?_ she wondered to herself as she pulled the door closed quietly behind her and listened for voices. They were faint, as if the Warehouse agents were deliberately trying to remain unheard, but now that she knew of the potential difficulties in the future, she couldn’t prevent the urge to help out, and with this thought, she began to make her way closer.

* * * * *

Myka hadn’t intended for them to get this carried away. She had only wanted to say that she’d made out a little with HG Wells in the science fiction section of her parents’ book shop, but now she was straddling Helena’s lap, the inventor’s mouth covering a straining nipple, one hand bracing her hip and another sliding skilfully through her wetness, drawing increasingly uncontrolled moans from her throat.

“Helena,” Myka gasped, unaware that her voice was drawing someone closer. She rocked, unashamed of the motion, against Helena’s busy fingers, quickly finding the perfect angle and the perfect rhythm. As her breathing became erratic and her eyes unfocussed on her surroundings, she felt a hand in her hair and allowed herself to be pulled into a fierce kiss. The moment Helena’s tongue brushed against her own, she shuddered and groaned her climax into the inventor’s mouth.

Once her heartbeat returned to normal, Myka reluctantly dismounted. Now that she was no longer lost in the moment, she was hyper aware of her position and her state of semi-undress. She rose from the floor where they’d been leaning against the solid end of a book shelf and accepted a helping hand as her legs continued to tingle.

HG was more graceful at pushing herself to her feet and with a self-satisfied grin at the corner of her mouth, she began to button up her shirt. “Has this ‘discussion’ improved your opinion of your literary idol, darling?” They had at least been careful not to remove any articles of clothing so making themselves appear decent was a quick task. She wrapped her arms loosely around Myka’s middle and grinned wider at the pleased but guilty expression on her partner’s face. “Or do you require further demonstrations of her genius?”

Myka smacked the inventor’s arm and narrowed her eyes at the teasing tone. “She has an impressive set of skills but I think perhaps her ego is over-inflated.”

“You think so?” Helena peppered kisses from the brunette’s lips to an ear. “It may be that arrogance which makes her such a desirable book shop conquest.”

The curly-haired agent swallowed hard and let her eyes flutter closed. “Helena... I don’t think we can risk starting again. Someone’s bound to come and look for us soon.”

Pulling back, the Brit took pity on her lover’s tentative control and put some space between them, leaving just their hands linked. “To be continued...” she agreed with a wink.

They took a cursory look around, checking that there were no lingering pieces of evidence that might betray their forbidden activities, and then made their way back upstairs, Helena easily carrying an air of innocence while her lover worked harder to school her features into anything that didn’t immediately scream ‘I’ve been naughty and I loved it’.

All appeared normal when they returned to their cosy seat near the fireplace and by the looks on her parents’ faces, Myka surmised that they had barely noticed their absence. She gave herself permission to relax, only belatedly realising that her sister was nowhere to be seen. A quick enquiry to Kevin regarding her whereabouts revealed that Tracy had stepped out a few minutes ago. She didn’t really begin to worry though until Helena’s figure stiffened next to her.

“Bugger,” the inventor cursed under breath and gestured towards the door when her fiancée turned questioningly her way.

At the expression of impending doom on those usually cocky features, Myka felt her stomach drop. With gargantuan effort, she turned to follow HG’s gaze and found a look in her sister’s eyes that she wouldn’t soon forget.

“Myka, I’m trying to find that thing you were going to lend me. Will you help me look, please?” Tracy asked casually, making her voice neither too loud or too quiet. Nothing that would arouse suspicion. She maintained her expression of disapproval, thoroughly enjoying the effect it was having on her sister. She had so rarely had opportunity in her life to lord over the older woman that she just wanted to enjoy it.

Myka slunk across the room, eyes pleading with her sibling when she was brave enough to look up. She felt the heat of her mortification on her face and braced herself for the worst as she led Tracy into her old bedroom and closed the door. “Trace...” she began, but her words were cut off as a pair of arms crushed her shoulders. “Urg!... What?”

“I’m so proud of you,” Tracy announced tearily. She pulled back and held the startled agent at arms’ length. “I’m disturbed and I think you owe me a couple of hours of therapy after what I heard, but I’m impressed too. I can’t believe you did _that_ in the shop!”

Blushing for a combination of reasons now, Myka began to panic at the increasing volume of her sister’s effusion. “Shh!”

“Oh relax,” Tracy dismissed nonchalantly. She made her way to the bed and perched on it cross-legged, no intention of leaving any time soon. “Mom and Dad are too busy enjoying the fruits of our loins, they’re not thinking about how we made them,” she teased.

Myka rolled her eyes and grudgingly perched on the bottom of the bed. “How much blackmail can I expect from this?”

An evil grin appeared gradually. “Remember that time you saw me smoking with Amber in the park and you had me doing all of your chores for a week? Or the time I broke Mom’s glasses and hid them under the sofa cushion so she’d assume that someone had accidentally sat on them, and you found out it was me? Or all of the other times I did something wrong and you acted all superior?” Her grin only got wider as Myka seemed to shrink before her. “You were such a goody-two-shoes.”

“Are we not too old for payback?” Myka attempted hopefully.

Tracy scoffed. “Nice try, sis. How long did it take HG to persuade you to do it in a public place?”

“It’s hardly public,” the agent protested. “The shop was closed.”

“So you’d be happy to fool around in any shop, so long as it was shut because they stop being public places?” Tracy chuckled at the murderous glare being directed at her. “You haven’t answered my question and as my first act of revenge, I demand a real answer.”

Myka’s face reddened and she mumbled something inarticulate.

“Sorry,” the younger woman grinned, sensing something juicy. “What was that?”

Huffing, the agent flopped back on the bed and covered her eyes with her hands. “The very first time we were... intimate, it was on the couch in the library of the bed and breakfast.” Tentatively, she peeked through a gap between her fingers to find her sister’s expression stuck somewhere between surprised and impressed.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, Myka?” Tracy commented after a brief silence.

A warm smile slowly replaced the grimace on Myka’s face. “Yeah, we have.” She slowly sat up and brushed her wayward hair from her face. “Have you finished torturing me?”

Tracy swung her legs over the side of the bed and jumped up. “For now,” she continued to tease and held out a hand to help her sister up.

As they wandered back into the living room, two pairs of eyes turned to find them but Myka was relieved to note that their parents remained oblivious to their absence. The agent returned to the space next to her fiancée and placed a reassuring kiss on  her cheek before snuggling into her side.

The worst of her embarrassment had worn off and with Helena’s arm around her shoulder, she was finally able to bask in the afterglow of their prurient adventure. Watching their children play with her parents and feeling a sense of rebellious satisfaction, Myka thought about the conversation she needed to have with her mom and dad. Bringing their family closer together gave her a heightened sense of security that seeped deep into her bones. She just hoped that her parents could handle the reality of her life.

Across the room, Christina’s never ending enthusiasm for entertaining kept her brother and cousin’s rapt attention. She sat at the end of the couch, half on her knees, a tiger puppet on one hand and an elephant on the other.

Fredrick sat securely in his grandmother’s lap, his dark eyes wide enough to show off the tiny flecks of green in his irises. Every now and then, he would add something to his sister’s stories with an explosive ‘ah’ or a series of garbled sounds, and his arms would spontaneously punch the air with excitement. Each time he did this, Daniel giggled and drew his attention away from the puppets. There seemed to be no sign of any child giving up on their repeated interactions.

“Elly Elephant jumped into the muddy water with a great... big... SPLASH!” Christina narrated adlib. “She didn’t see Timmy Tiger until it was too late. ‘Oops!’ she said and hid behind her ears.” The nine-year-old manipulated her fingers inside the puppet’s ears to demonstrate the actions in her story.

Jeannie smiled brightly and Warren chuckled along as his eldest grandson giggled again. Despite having virtually no understanding of what the girl was saying, the boys enjoyed the animated props and the timbre of her voice. She could have been reading the obituaries and they would be smiling, so long as she continued to throw around the expression in her tone.

The newest additions to the family were very considerate and started to rub their eyes in tandem. As Tracy and Kevin were planning to drive home that evening, they put their son in his car chair and bid their farewells. Freddy clung to his Mummy’s hair, protesting as he was placed into his own travel seat and tried to resist the weight of his eyelids. Next to HG, Christina curled up on the couch and laid her head on the inventor’s shoulder.

Taking advantage of the lull in the room and receiving a nod of encouragement from her fiancée, Myka followed her mother into the kitchen/dining room and stood next to her at the sink. “Do you need a hand with anything, Mom?”

“No thank you, sweetheart. I have everything covered.” She turned towards her daughter after washing their mugs and reached out to find her hands. “Your children are darling, Myka. I’m so glad your father and sister were able to talk some sense into me.”

Myka didn’t comment on the difficulties she’d faced due to her mother’s behaviour but smiled instead. “I’m glad too, Mom. Childcare is expensive,” she teased.

The silver-haired woman laughed and swatted her daughter’s arm playfully. “Well,  if you and Helena lived closer, I would have more opportunity to oblige you there.”

“We’re looking to move house,” the agent admitted tentatively. At the growing interest in her mother’s eyes, she added, “We haven’t made any firm decisions, but Denver has some nice family homes in the suburbs.”

Jeannie squeezed Myka’s hands, barely holding back her fierce approval of the idea of her baby returning to Colorado. “It would be wonderful to have you so close to home. As long as you’re happy though, Myka. I would love to see more of my grandchildren of course. Christina is so like you at that age, though with more of Tracy’s confidence perhaps... It boggles the mind.”

Myka watched as her mother rolled her eyes and stepped away. The agent shuffled from foot to foot for a moment while her thoughts fought for dominance. “About that...” she began hesitantly.

Mrs Bering frowned at the tone in the agent’s voice. Her immediate response was concern and she pulled out a chair from the dining table. “Is Christina ok?”

“What?” Myka stopped second-guessing herself for a moment and took a chair next to her mother. Apparently, she had a talent for announcing news in the worst possible way. “Oh, Mom, she’s fine. We’re all fine. I’m sorry, I just have something that I need to talk about with you and Dad. It involves Helena, Christina and Freddy but it’s difficult to explain.”

Jeannie took a steadying breath. “You want to talk about this tonight?”

“If you’re up to it,” the brunette answered. “I can come back tomorrow though, if you prefer.”

“Is Helena joining us?” the older woman wondered, thinking about who would watch the children.

Myka shook her head. “I wanted to do this myself. She’ll be happy to talk to you and answer any questions you have, but I thought you’d be more comfortable just talking to me, to begin with.”

“What about Christina and Freddy?” the concerned grandmother added.

“Helena will take them back to the hotel and I’ll take a cab when we’re finished.” The young woman watched her mother consider the request for a few seconds and held her breath.

“I’ll not get any sleep with this hanging over my head,” Jeannie finally said. “No one’s ill or dying?” she checked. At Myka’s small smile and shake of her head, the woman rose. “I’ll go get your father.”

Agent Bering started with the same warnings she’d given her sister and Kevin the month before. She explained that they couldn’t speak about her secrets outside of the apartment but didn’t elaborate yet on the glyph that protected their home. Once she had their solemn promises, she began.

The Bering elders didn’t need her to go into detail to remind them of the incident that still occasionally gave them nightmares. Neither of them could think Poe’s name without a chill running down their spines.

“So the explanation you gave us was a lie?” Warren asked with disapproval.

“It’s a possible explanation,” Myka defended. “But not the whole truth.”

She went on to explain how other artefacts had affected her life and divulged a little of her work at the Warehouse. They had reached her explanation of the Bronze Sector and most of the potential villains held within before they took a short break to allow Jeannie to replenish their beverages.

“You said that this was about you and Helena,” Jeannie reminded her daughter. “I assume you met her while you were working. She is an agent too, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” the agent answered slowly. They were finally coming to the heart of the conversation and she was about to find out just how open minded her parents could be. “She began as an agent at Warehouse 12.”

Twin frowns stared back at Myka and her parents exchanged a look. “I think you’re getting mixed up sweetie,” Jeannie commented gently. “You just told us that your Warehouse has been in South Dakota since the early twentieth century.”

A weak smile appeared on the agent’s face. “I’m not mixed up, Mom. Helena is one hundred and forty-nine years old. She was born in 1866.”

Warren and Jeannie sat much as Tracy and Kevin had when they’d heard this information; with their mouths slightly open and looking expectant, as if waiting for the punch line.

“You don’t mean that literally,” Warren assumed, though he was wracking his brain to come up with another explanation.

“I do, Dad. You remember what I said about the bronzer freezing a person in time so that they don’t age?” she continued patiently. “Well physically, she’s thiry-six but she was in stasis for over a hundred years.”

“Didn’t you say that the Bronze Sector was for criminals?” the older woman queried, her voice rising with renewed concern. All of those old worries about the Brit’s influence on her daughter abruptly returned.

Myka nodded. “Mostly. And Pete and I _were_ given the job of tracking her down when she was released by another fugitive of ours, but we discovered later that she volunteered for the process. We just had no record of it.” She deliberately left out the parts where Artie had insisted that she was dangerous and that she wasn’t to be trusted. She could see her mother thinking it through and probably calculating how her family all fitted together.

“Myka, you have not been in South Dakota this last nine years. Are you telling us that Helena allowed Christina to be frozen for over a hundred years?” Mrs Bering asked, appalled by the idea.

“No, Mom.” Myka stared down into her mug for a moment, willing the sting of tears away as she tasted the words that she needed to say. She forced herself to look up and met her parents’ gazes with a sad smile. “Christina was born in 1891. She died in 1899. Helena volunteered for the bronze because she was grieving. It was only while I was on a retrieval last year that I found Christina trapped in an artefact and we managed to rescue her.”

While Jeannie’s frown intensified, Warren threw himself back in his chair with a huff. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, young lady, but your mother and I are not amused.”

Having expected a reaction like this, Myka was taken aback only for a moment. She looked squarely into her father’s eyes and nodded solemnly. “I know you must think this is either a huge joke or that I’m out of my mind. It sounds like something out of an off-the-wall sci-fi, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is not a game and I’m not delusional.”

She sighed at the continued scepticism facing her and decided that she needed to spread this conversation out over a couple of days. “I’m going to give you guys some time to think things over and come back early in the morning to continue. If you decide you still want to know.” She rose from her chair, tucked it in and stood for a moment with both hands clutching its back. “Just... When you think that all of this is crazy; Dad, you were possessed by a book, and Mom, you saw someone turning invisible not too long ago. There’re wonders in this world that you never see, but it doesn’t mean that they’re not there.”

With a final pacifying smile, Myka left her parents to stew in her words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Would be good to hear anyone's thoughts as I try to wrap up this part of my series.  
> Up next: tying up a few loose ends...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overdue but hopefully not disappointing, this chapter was wrung from my energy depleted brain over the last few weeks. Normally, I like to reread and edit, edit, edit, but as I've only just finished writing it, I'm afraid it's only been through the process once, so as you may imagine, I'm nervous about posting.
> 
> I hope it makes sense and isn't too fragmented. I'm going to try to compose a short epilogue to round off The Birth and, as always, your thoughts are appreciated.

A fire crackled in the hearth, the flames throwing dancing shapes on the walls and warming the otherwise cold, grey decor. His chair situated close to the source of heat and a brandy glass hanging precariously from his right hand, commander in chief, Lloyd Spencer-Chapman Junior, stared into the depths of the fire, a sneer painting his upper lip.

His family had grown large over the years with distant cousins, aunts and uncles scrambling to join their cause, fuelled by tales of ancestral victories and power. In regards to the struggles ahead, not all applicants were suitable for more than cannon-fodder but one or two had proved their worth and might yet learn the true reason behind his inherited vendetta.

Since, only he or his direct line could regain control over his rightful dominion, he regarded his flock as mere distractions anyhow. His blood was pure, blessed with the strength of kings and leaders. Mother to son, father to daughter (their direct line devoid of siblings by design), his destiny was to rule.

With the usurper’s revival, the time for battle would soon be at hand. In this lifetime, he would face his blood enemy. Though years stretched ahead of him still, he could taste his victory. He was smart, he was patient, he was ruthless and methodical. Others who criticised his actions were dispatched of swiftly but this was no hardship for him. Sacrifices were necessary and, in the end, he would succeed alone.

It was time to begin final preparations and, whether his minions liked it or not, their order needed to disappear for a while. He would not let the infiltrators learn more about him before he was ready to play his hand.

* * * * *

A fire crackled on the television screen, the noise and image casting the perfect background to the festive scene. Stood a few feet away, in pride of place, a large fir towered over the children on the rug, its branches reaching and its many shiny adornments beckoning their attention.

In a ring of cushions, sat Fredrick and Sophie, each holding one end of a chain of teething rings, their faces frozen in identical expressions of confusion as they tugged and tried to figure out where the opposite reaction was coming from. In front of the two youngest, Christina attempted to build a replica of London Bridge with blocks but with Daniel cornering the market on demolition, she wasn’t having much luck.

Adults filled the rest of the room, squashed into couches and on dining chairs that filled the spaces between. A contented sluggishness blanketed them as they chatted and digested their afternoon feast.

Helena and Myka shared the long couch with Warren and Jeannie, the latter two appearing somewhat overwhelmed by their thoughts still as their eyes drifted frequently between their eldest daughter, the inventor and their grandchildren. Agent Bering suspected that the only reason they hadn’t run from the house yet was the way their other guests took everything in their stride.

Tracy, Kevin, and Lila encouraged Pete’s elaborate tales of daring chases and escapes, many of them deliberately designed to embarrass the soon-to-be regents, though HG remained inscrutable to most of his attempts.

“Oh that poor boy,” Jeannie lamented as Pete reached the end of his body swapping story. “I did wonder when he had discovered such an interest in literature. He comes into the shop quite regularly you know.” She entertained a brief thought of her eldest on the arm of the high school football star but shook it off as she caught green eyes and behind Myka, a glimpse of her granddaughter’s angelic features.

She was still finding it difficult to wrap her head around Myka’s reality. If her faith had been tested while she wrestled over her daughter’s choice of partner, it was taking a battering now as she considered how it was possible for Christina and Fredrick to be the product of two woman as well as being twins born over a century apart. Having HG Wells as her future daughter-in-law seemed easy in comparison.

The more time they all spent together however, the more comfortable she and her husband became with Helena and Myka’s relationship. As their daughters liked to keep reminding them, the world hadn’t changed, but merely their awareness of it.

“So have you looked at any more properties?” Warren asked the couple beside him. “You’ll have to get a move on if you want to begin packing up by spring.”

“Our real-estate agent is keeping us in the loop, Dad, but we don’t need to rush,” Myka told her father firmly. Gone were the days when she let his stern tone bully her into making snap decisions. Though she knew he meant well, she wasn’t going to let him assume control over any aspect of her life. “Very few people are going to want to move house during the holidays anyway. We’ll start visiting more properties after New Year’s. Maybe we can get together for dinner again while we’re in Denver?” she added to soften the impact of her words slightly.

“That would be lovely, dear,” the Bering matriarch chipped in. “You know, once you’re settled in your new home, we will have to start making some serious wedding plans.”

Myka froze for a moment as she imagined going through the hell that Tracy had endured with glee. Endless shopping trips with her mother were not her idea of fun. “We don’t want anything too elaborate, Mom. I’m sure we don’t need an entire year to make plans.”

“Sweetheart, this is your _wedding_ ,” Jeannie pointed out with gentle insistence. “You... Both of you deserve to enjoy it.”

Helena felt her fiancée stiffen next to her and knew exactly what Myka was thinking. “So long as Myka is there, I will enjoy it,” she smiled at future mother in law as she slipped her hand into her lover’s. “I already have a contact who’s going to tailor our dresses and the outfits for the rest of the bridal party. Our wedding planner might enjoy a day’s shopping with you though, in order to pick out flowers, card stock and guest gifts.”

“Your wedding planner?” Jeannie wondered aloud, surprised by this revelation.

Myka grinned as she began to relax again. “She knows what we like,” she teased her mother as she gestured with her head towards the nine-year-old.

Tracy watched her mother’s expression carefully and recognised the stubborn set of her mouth. “Myka does deserve to enjoy getting married,” she agreed readily. “And since we both know that she hates trawling the mall, taking my niece out for the day sounds like the best plan.”

After a few exchanged glances, the grey-haired mother relented and finally saw sense. She shook her head and offered her eldest a warm smile. “You always were different,” she said affectionately.

Myka leant into Helena’s embrace and turned her head slightly to brush a kiss across her chin. “I’m looking forward to the wedding, Mom, but mostly, I just want to enjoy my marriage.” She felt her fiancée’s answering kiss in her hair and beamed at the sensation that filled her from head to toe.

Jeannie felt that familiar jolt of _knowing_ as she absorbed her daughter’s words. She was sure that eventually she would stop being surprised by the understanding that Myka was in love with a woman, but it would take time. A genuine smile grew on her features before long though and she nodded at the couple. “As long as you’re both happy, dear,” she assured her daughter and the inventor as she patted Myka’s hand.

* * * * *

Meghan narrowed her eyes as she walked into the conference room with Jason on her heels and took a seat opposite the dozen or so regents. She knew exactly why they’d called this meeting, had felt it in the rhythm of the Warehouse this past month or so; Warehouse 13 was coming to the end of its residence in America, which probably meant that the current agents were superfluous to requirements. She had wondered what sort of pension plan secret government facilities provided their employees.

The idea of early retirement came as kind of a relief really. The pressures of her position clouded her ability to connect with her colleagues and though she had felt some improvement with one or two of the other agents, she preferred the time spent without them.

Meghan took a seat opposite Mr Kosan and leaned casually back in her chair. Beside her, Agent Wickes lowered himself stiffly, his rigid figure setting him apart from the apparently apathetic woman.

His tenure as a Warehouse agent marked the most enjoyable period of his life. Pushed from one academic pursuit to another, his natural intelligence stood him in good stead with the forensic sciences that he’d eventually settled into. His superiors had always been pleased with his work but never stopped demanding more. Job satisfaction was not a concept he’d fully understood until faced with a world of endless wonder and as many eyes focussed intently on is alert frame, he worried that his dream was coming to an end.

Adwin cleared his throat once all were gathered and the room fell silent. He steadfastly ignored the odd gaze that eyed him with barely concealed distaste, knowing that he couldn’t allow anyone to see him falter. “Agents Wickes and Coombs, you have been summoned here today to discuss your future with the Warehouse. It is our responsibility to inform you that Warehouse 13 will not be in operation for much longer.” He waited patiently for the two of them to absorb this news before calmly moving on. “We want to take the opportunity to thank you for the dedication you have shown to your assignments this year and offer each of you, what we hope you’ll agree, is a generous severance payment.”

A few spaces to his left, Regent Congrave shifted in his seat and fixed his calculating gaze on the pair of agents. “You understand, of course, that you remain bound by the secrecy of this organisation.” His tone told the agents that, despite his words forming a question, he was actually giving them a command. They both nodded, even Meghan finding the energy to appear solemn in her consent. “Provided you remain able to follow that simple rule, I imagine you will lead comfortable enough lives without any further interference from us.”

Though Mr Congrave dismissed the two agents with a condescending look and seemed to think that any further discussion was not warranted, no one moved to leave and Mr Kosan refocused on the pair opposite him. “If you have any concerns or enquiries, please speak with Mr Nielsen or Ms Cho and they will direct your comments to us, should we need to address them. I understand that this news will have come as a shock and that you will both need time to process.”

“So, that’s it?”

The voice was sharp and filled with emotion, and Meghan turned to her colleague with an expression of surprise.

“Though your time with us has been brief,” Regent Lattimer added with compassion. “Please, do not take this as a negative reflection on your performance to date. This is simply a natural progression of the Warehouse.”

Jason nodded to himself, appearing slightly embarrassed for his brief outburst. “Yes ma’am,” he managed to say after a short pause.

Agent Coombs decided to keep her thoughts to herself, knowing that nothing she said could change what was happening. Her mixed feelings swirled in changing colours in her mind and, the minute they were dismissed from the meeting, she left Jason to his own devices.

As she wandered aimlessly along the street, passing homes and places of business, she recalled all that she’d learned over the past year and a plan began to form in her mind.

Agent Bering’s foray into the past and the appearance of the future Christina Wells told her that there was much more to discover about the mysteries of the Warehouse’s story. Her natural mistrust of most people and the strange ability she possessed to detect artefacts, gave her a drive to discover truths for herself. With time to study the temporary guest in the bronze sector, she knew that the young woman’s presence was not coincidental.

No matter where she ended up now, the things she’d discovered and manipulated during the last year would keep her permanently linked to the sentient building. It didn’t matter if she no longer had access to the inventory, they couldn’t actually get rid of her now. This thought continued to comfort her as she kept walking, determined to clear her head.

* * * * *

On his return to the bed and breakfast, Agent Wickes tried to push his disappointment aside to concentrate on the road ahead of him. He didn’t know where Agent Coombs had disappeared to and he didn’t really care how she was going to travel back to their communal residence, all that really concerned him at that moment was _his_ immediate future.

Such selfish thoughts were unusual for him but having worked with Meghan long enough now, he knew that she would disappear without telling him where she was going and would reappear in her own time. He’d had enough of trying to make concessions for her anti-social behaviour.

A hot, twisting sensation began to build in his stomach and he swallowed convulsively. He’d been trying so hard to separate his past from the life he was living now and to distance himself from the people who’d dictated his path for him, hearing that he had to return to that life made him want to scream.

On top of that, the unexpected attachment he’d begun to form with Agent Jinks was still so raw and new that he worried that Steve wouldn’t be interested in continuing their budding romance if they were about to be thrown back out into the world. Where would the ex-ATF agent go? What did he plan to do with his life and would he want a sort-of-boyfriend tagging along with him?

With so much uncertainty on the horizon, Jason fought to keep his emotions under control. When he finally pulled up outside the bed and breakfast though, he had managed to wrestle his fear back into its neat little box and came to a passable conclusion.

He wasn’t going to return to his previous life. He decided that the risk of facing repercussions wasn’t high enough to deter him from escaping his family’s control. A firm plan was forming in his mind and, regardless of what Steve or any of the other agents decided, he would attempt to stay under the radar. He just hoped that Mrs Fredrick would keep the promise she made to him twelve months ago.

* * * * *

Barely a creak or whistle of wind disturbed the gentle peace of Christmas morning. Despite the blanket of night still clinging to the onset of morning, one pair of excited eyes rolled open and blinked. Myka stretched her toes and breathed through her nostrils until her lungs filled to capacity. A smile crept upon her lips and she turned to look at her bedfellow.

During the night, their spooned bodies had drifted slightly and Helena had settled onto her back, her head turned away and a hand holding the covers under her chin. Agent Bering took care not to disturb her fiancée as she pushed up onto her arm for a better vantage point.

Soft puffs of air flowed from an elegant nose, complimenting the rise and fall of the inventor’s chest. Sleep and sex-mused hair managed to retain its allure as it covered the pillow and framed pale features.

A tight longing filled Myka’s chest and she swallowed heavily. A hand reached to touch the bedside light, bringing it to life and throwing a soft, yellow glow on the room. “Helena?” she whispered. A barely audible mumble rose from the Brit’s lips but she soon fell quiet again. Myka lowered her mouth to the shell of an ear and placed a hand just below her lover’s rib cage. “Helena, wake up.”

Agent Wells hummed her response, blinked several times and smiled at the sight of Myka’s bed hair and intense gaze. “Hello, darling.” She reached up to trace the shape of her fiancée’s jaw. “Is it time to rise and shine?”

Agent Bering glanced at the clock, read five forty-five and blushed. “Not exactly,” she admitted and then added softly, “I just missed you.” She watched Helena’s smile grow wide until the white of her teeth seemed to light up the dark room and reached inside her chest to envelope her heart.

Myka sank into her lover’s arms and, as their lips met, she felt like a piece of her settled back into place, as if it had been shaken loose. Was it the impending relocation of their lives, the thought of Warehouse 13 moving or simply the day ahead, reserved just for them and their children?

After the previous weekend, hosting a pre-Christmas gathering, with her parents and sister staying over, and friends popping in and out, she and Helena agreed to keep Christmas day for just the four of them.

Most of their family had made other plans too. Pete, Lila and Sophie were spending the weekend with Jane. Steve had decided to spend the holiday with his mother and had taken Claudia and a surprised Jason with him. Abigail was with her brother’s family in New York. Which left a skeleton crew at the Warehouse, with Vanessa joining Artie, Leena and Meghan for a quiet dinner at the Bed and Breakfast.

The rowdier gatherings would come before the new year but, for now, the two newest regents looked forward to the intimacy of their little nest.

After a supper of hot chocolate, crackers and cheese, they sat around the fire, dressed in their pyjamas while HG read The Night Before Christmas. Fredrick was asleep within seconds, his head lolling heavily onto Myka’s shoulder while his sister sat in Helena’s lap, her lips mouthing the words along with her mother.

Once the children were in bed, Myka and Helena cuddled on the sofa, talking about their plans for breakfast, sipping wine and getting lost in kisses.

Far from sated by the evening’s activities, Myka felt her need for Helena Wells like an addiction that had only intensified through the night. This morning, she needed to feel her partner’s gaze fixed on her; a window into the soul that kept her tethered to her life. As their bodies moved together, her skin hummed with the energy of _them_ and pushed her to greater heights until, with a flesh-muffled moan, she tumbled over the edge. With her head buried against the inventor’s shoulder, Myka took a minute to breathe and gather her wayward emotions.

Helena held her fiancée close and peppered kisses in her hair. She understood how moments of insecurity would hit her partner on occasion; decades of learned behaviour didn’t disappear so easily, but she was glad that they had reached a point in their relationship where they could just tell each other, with words or a look, that they needed a little extra attention.

“I love you, Myka,” the Brit whispered into wild curls. She felt the brunette shift in her arms and looked down to find glassy, green orbs staring at her. “You and our family... You are my raison d’être.”

“I feel the same way,” Myka murmured, her throat tight with emotion. She sniffed and huffed a laugh through her tears. “Damn it, I don’t need to be falling to pieces on Christmas morning.”

Helena shuffled down the bed until they were nose to nose and kissed away the fallen tears. “You always have me here to help you put the pieces back together, darling. Feel free to fall apart as much as you need to.”

Myka smiled into their kiss and wriggled closer so that the entire length of their bodies lay flush against one another. For the next hour, they indulged a slow exploration of hands and mouths against skin, bringing each other close to the brink time and again until they shuddered together and fell still once more.

It was the crackle of the baby monitor that caught their attention some time later and Myka felt her body respond to the sound of her baby’s morning cry. Rolling out of bed, she was dressed in her pyjamas once more and had her fingers on the door handle before another voice came through the tiny speaker, making her pause to listen.

_“Freddy,” Christina cooed to her brother, silencing his demands for attention as she entered his bedroom. “Hello, baby. Are you ready to see if Father Christmas has visited? Mama and Mummy will be up soon. Not long now, little brother.”_

Helena’s gaze met Myka’s and they shared an expression that communicated how precious they each found this moment. The Brit slipped from the covers of their bed before joining her fiancée at the door. She made a motion for the brunette to open the door as she reached for the listening device and turned it off.

From along the corridor, they heard the sound of the crib being lowered and the sidewall releasing. Helena had made the mechanical adjustments at Christina’s request so that she might help her mothers when Fredrick woke from his afternoon nap, but they had not witnessed a morning like this between the siblings before.

Grabbing the camcorder that she had prepared the previous night, HG crept across the landing with Myka on her tail and began recording the start of their children’s first Christmas together.

Christina sat next to her brother, after lifting him to the floor, and removed his pacifier to place it out of reach; as she’d seen her parents do many a time. Freddy immediately began to whinge and rolled onto all fours to crawl after the object but paused when a familiar bear appeared in front of him and began to dance and sing.

“When Santa got stuck up the chimney...”

Myka wrapped her arm around Helena’s waist as they watched. Their little girl’s exuberant lyrics kept them enraptured ‘til the end of the song. Something must have caught Fredrick’s peripheral vision though and the moment he spotted his parents, his thoughts were back on breakfast.

“Mm-ah!” Freddy shouted as he tumbled over his sister’s lap and crawled towards the grinning adults.

Myka bent down to pick him up, kissed his chubby cheek as she settled him onto her hip and then indulged the camera by joining Christina on the rug. Fredrick complained with a whine when he wasn’t immediately transported to the room where the food came from but, as his sister broke into giggles, his complaints died out again and he settled for nestling into his mother’s chest.

After a few minutes of playing with Old Ted and distracting her brother, the nine-year-old noticed a suspicious odour and leapt to escape. She clambered over a box of toys and performed an impromptu dance for the camera, re-enacting her song for a new audience before prancing from the room.

Myka shook her head and moved to the changing table as Helena disappeared after their daughter. After changing her son’s diaper and dressing him in his penguin-shaped baby grow (Aunt Tracy’s gift to him), she led the way to the kitchen and put him in his high chair, with half a banana to keep him occupied. Her fiancée floated down after her and their daughter followed, keeping a running commentary as she carried the camcorder.

“It is Christmas morning and we are about to prepare a scrumptious breakfast before we check to see if Father Christmas had visited.” The lens panned towards Fredrick and stopped just beyond his sticky reach. “Freddy already has a banana because he’s a grumpy monkey when his tummy is growly. Mummy and Mama are gathering the ingredients for French toast.” She turned the camera around to face it, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I’m going to have maple syrup with mine.” She turned the device back on her parents, thinking that she’d been sneaky, only to find HG watching her with a level gaze.

“You may _politely request_ syrup with your breakfast,” Helena corrected the nine-year-old in a mildly haughty tone that spoke of the latent effect of her upbringing.

Behind the inventor, Myka chuckled slightly and with a look of mischief, she reached for the item in question and swiftly applied a drop to the end of her index finger. With a shushing motion, she crept up behind her fiancée and attacked.

Helena jumped and twisted on the spot. A hand reached up to feel a spot on her cheek and she stared at the giddy brunette in surprise. “You...? Did you...?”

Christina giggled, the camera shaking in her grasp. “Has the cat got your tongue, Mummy?” she taunted, recognising the familiar build up to a battle of wills and agility.

“I did,” Myka answered the inventor’s unfinished question. “What are you going to do about it?”

HG’s eyes narrowed at the challenge and she gave chase. Like a game of cat and mouse, they danced around the table, one lunging to capture and the other dodging at the last second, keeping a hair’s breadth out of reach.

The nine-year-old smiled and stepped out of the way while she continued to record. From the corner of the tiny screen, she could see her brother’s awestruck expression slowly morph into a gummy grin and chuckled to herself when his arms flailed and a chunk of banana sailed over the island counter to land in their Mama’s hair.

Myka’s taunts turned into a cry of horror, her momentum coming to an abrupt pause as she reached up to remove the projectile before it could burrow its way into her curls. Her fingers closed around the offending item just as a body collided with hers and two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

“I believe that is ‘game over’, darling,” HG crowed.

Myka pouted and turned in the embrace. “You had an accomplice,” she complained. “That should be against the rules.”

“Rules should be established before the game commences, my dear. You cannot make arbitrary declarations after the fact, merely to suit your whim,” the inventor countered logically, a smug gleam in her eye. “Besides, I cannot be expected to predict when spectators will take it upon themselves to intervene on my behalf.” She leant closer, bringing their bodies flush and smirked at the shiver she felt along the length of Myka’s figure.

Agent Bering’s expression held for several seconds before her scowl broke and she swooped in to cover a sticky spot with her tongue. No matter that she’d been caught; the renewed shock on her fiancée’s face was enough of a victory for her.

The rest of their breakfast passed calmly in comparison, until the time came to clear the table and Christina’s excitement for presents became too much for her to retain.

Helena had insisted on the family meal to start the day, explaining patiently to her daughter that they would all enjoy the morning better on full stomachs and that Fredrick was too young to ignore his hunger long enough for them to open their presents in peace anyway.

The young girl tore into her first gift like a lion on a gazelle, her fingers pulling at the faces of Santa and Rudolph until her gaze landed on the prize beneath. “Oh wow! Mama, Mummy, look what Addy gave me,” she cried with joy.

In her hands, she held a wooden box with a compass peering through its glass top. She stared at it for a moment before reverently lifting the catch and opening the lid.

Myka covered Helena’s hand with her own and squeezed it gently. The inventor’s expression gave nothing away other than the delight of watching their daughter’s enjoyment, but she knew that her lover had taken great care in guiding Adelaide’s selection. It wasn’t flashy or expensive but it looked well made and had a symbolism that suited the girls’ friendship.

Their eyes met for the briefest of moments and something intangible passed between them. Neither noticed the flash of energy that emanated from Myka’s ring or the answering sparks that lit their children’s gazes. Blanketed by love, the couple gravitated towards each other, their lips meeting in a sweet caress that deepened to a slow exploration of mouths.

It took effort for them to part, the magic in their kiss making each touch a compulsion that was difficult to resist, but eventually they did, the pulsing energy from the ring dissipating at the same time.

If Fredrick’s eyes lingered on the object, no one else noticed.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it's been over a week since my last update, I'm getting this last chapter out before I can obsess over it too much. Your wonderful words of encouragement have given me the confidence to update without a million reads and edits and right now, I feel pretty good about this epilogue. I'm hoping the only criticism I'll get is that there's not enough, but that's kinda the point because I want to leave you begging for more!
> 
> I know that I've thanked you all a thousand times but I can never thank you all enough for your continued support. Your words always bring a rainbow to any cloudy day.

**Epilogue**

Early, on the last Saturday in March, having driven across two states, following one of the removal vans, the Bering/Wells family arrived at their new home. Hungry, travel weary but mostly excited, the sound of unbuckling filled the car as they began to pile out.

Christina slipped a hand into her Mama’s and glanced up at the American’s thoughtful expression. At two months shy of her tenth birthday, the young girl was fast catching up with her parents in height. The top of her head now peeked above Myka’s chin, giving evidence to a growth spurt that apparently accompanied a sudden interest in lazy mornings, half an hour longer in the bathroom and an aversion to any movie or television show that involved the lead characters sharing their first kiss.

Myka threw an arm around the girl’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head. As much as possible, she tried to appreciate all of the little moments they had together. She wasn’t going to grow old regretting that she hadn’t spent enough time with her family but even so, her children were growing up so quickly that she often wondered where the time was going.

Helena joined the pair on the driveway; her left arm wrapped securely around her son as she pressed the lock button on her key-fob and watched the indicators blink in response. Some technology still had the ability to make her smile at its simple elegance. She opened her mouth to ask if Myka and Christina were ready to venture inside and found her words muffled by the weight of a curious hand. Trying not to wonder why her son’s hands were sticky again, Helena blew a raspberry against his palm and chuckled as she ducked his renewed attempts to pull at her teeth. She heard the sound of a truck door opening and knew that the people they’d hired to move their furniture were impatient to get started.

“Shall we?” HG nodded towards their new home.

Christina grinned and reached out to take the inventor’s free hand. “Let’s,” she answered with exaggerated poise before beginning to drag both adults towards the door.

 * * * * *

By Sunday evening, the chaos of boxes and half-deconstructed furniture had been dealt with and a semblance of hominess began to settle over the house.

“I found it, darling,” Helena declared with a satisfied whisper as she sat next to her fiancée in their new living room and smiled down at her son, who was fighting his post-feed nap.

Myka’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Where? I looked all around the outside of the house yesterday.”

“It’s in the basement. I noticed it while I was measuring the space for more shelving. It’s almost under the stairs. I would not have taken note if I was not already familiar with its appearance.” She leant in to meet the brunette’s lips with her own, needing to reassure Myka that they were safe in their home. “As Jane mentioned, we have our own brand of protection. Our home is still our stronghold.”

Regent Bering nodded slowly and gazed down at their son. “It’s one more thing off my mind. I’m glad Claudia could make time to visit. It was strange not being able to just visit the Warehouse this last couple of months and check in.”

“Yes, I am rather grateful for her insistence that she keep us well informed. Her reports are the motivation I need sometimes not to buy a plane ticket and just make the journey to check for myself that all is well,” HG confessed. One glance at her fiancée’s expression told her that she wasn’t the only one who had felt this compulsion. “She is in good hands, love,” she added, knowing that she didn’t need to elaborate to explain who she was talking about.

“I know,” Myka sighed, forcing herself to let go of some of her built up anxieties. “And I trust Claudia to deal with any problems. I know she has it covered, I just don’t like giving up control, you know?”

“Yes, dear,” Helena shot her partner an amused look. “I am well aware of your propensity to hold onto the reins, even while the horse is at rest.” Her expression softened as she added, “We are very much alike in that respect.”

“Hmm,” Myka rolled her eyes slightly and nudged Helena’s shoulder as carefully as she could without disturbing a nodding Fredrick. “You know whose reins I like holding most?”

Helena’s eyes widened and then narrowed in amusement. “I do enjoy the manner in which you command my attention,” she whispered into an attentive ear. Spying an opportunity for a little adult distraction with her wife-to-be, she glanced at the clock on the wall and then down at the now slumbering baby. “What time are we expecting your parents to bring our princess home?”

The weight of lethargy pulling at the brunette’s body abruptly lifted and green eyes locked onto brown. “Not for at least an hour,” she answered, her body already shifting towards the edge of the couch.

“Not enough time to christen the entire house,” the Brit teased. “But enough for two or three rooms.” She watched her lover’s eyes crinkle in amusement and pulled them both from the couch, taking extra care not to wake Freddy.

It was imperative that he remain asleep.

* * * * *

Claudia Donovan, caretaker of Warehouse 14, smirked as she pushed her sunglasses further up the bridge of her nose and slid into the back of the car that awaited her need. She nodded to her driver’s reflection and waited until they were out of sight of the crowded apartment block before breaking out into a mini victory dance.

“I take it you managed to procure his good faith,” a serious tone interrupted the private celebration.

“Come on, Mrs F,” the red head responded, her arms stilling in a gesture that said, ‘are you kidding me?’ “Did you really doubt me?”

A sardonic brow rose and a smile tugged at dark lips. “An hour ago, I believe your precise words were, ‘frack, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this shovimotion’.”

“Well, just call me Don Donovan, ‘cause I nailed it.” Claudia relaxed further into her seat, her smile unrepentant.

“I applaud your efforts, Claudia.” Irene allowed some of the fondness for her replacement to shine through. “And to answer your question, I didn’t doubt you for a second.”

The techie’s self-important grin faded into a smile that was very reminiscent of her early days at the Warehouse. “Thanks,” she choked and then cleared her throat. “So, how many more of these little visits do we need to make? Will two agents be enough?”

“We have another on our radar but you will find that, as demand grows, suitable agents will reveal themselves to you.”

“I get it,” Claudia nodded to herself as she turned to gaze at the foreign scenery. “Gotta catch ‘em all, Mrs F... Gotta catch ‘em all.”

A frown descended over the ex-caretaker’s face, highlighting one or two new wrinkles. “I am not going to pretend to know what that means,” she finally dismissed the girl’s latest pop-culture reference. “After today’s training session, do you believe you will be up to the task on your own in the future?”

A hint of apprehension lingered in the young woman’s eyes for a moment before she nodded firmly and turned a determined look on her older friend. “You bet. You know, when HG was being her crazy-ass self and you were babbling demotic phrases, I was terrified of this happening to me.” She shook her head and grinned at the stark difference in the situation today. “Who would’ve seen us getting _here_? Who could’ve seen the little love nest our favourite OTP are in?” She chuckled to herself until she glanced at Mrs Fredrick again and caught a glimpse of knowledge behind those all-seeing eyes. “Are you kidding me?” she gasped aloud this time. “You knew!?”

Irene’s expression gave very little away but it was clear that she took offence at the young red head’s tone. “I did not _know_ the particulars of Miss Wells’ fate, nor did I know the lengths to which she would go to relieve herself of her grief. I did however; know that her appearance was no coincidence.”

“You knew she was going to be released from the bronze?” Claudia persisted, her body turned to focus all of her attention on her mentor. Though they were all aware of the cosmic interference that tied Myka and Helena together, they were resigned to the fact that no one knew for certain what would happen in the future. To think that Mrs Fredrick had knowledge that could help and hadn’t shared it, the thought shook the new caretaker harder than she’d like to admit. “And you knew that she was going to hook up with Myka?”

“Your tone, Claudia, suggests that you are judging my reticence over the matter,” Irene responded in her usual no-nonsense tone. She breathed in slowly and took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Many years ago, before the Warehouse came to this country, I met two regents who had travelled from England to seek the new site. They sought my sister, whom you might remember was supposed to be the caretaker of Warehouse 13, and told her, in secret, that their granddaughter, an agent of Warehouse 12, would suffer a terrible bereavement and end up bronzed. They explained that she was to wake in a little over a century to meet her soul mate and complete a cycle of events that would ensure the protection of the Warehouse against a future threat.

“I was not supposed to be privy to that meeting; I had snuck in before they could erect a barrier around the room and hid in a small cupboard. My behaviour that day was a-typical. I did not sneak around, eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. I had been raised better than that. I simply could not shake the impulse to be a party to _that_ conversation. Fate, Claudia, is a delicate thing.” She paused and eyed her protégé closely. “Tell me, what would you have done with that information?”

“I don’t know,” Claudia tilted her head in thoughts and played with her hair. “Maybe told Myka that they were destined to be together so she could spend more time with HG. That might have mellowed the mad-scientist enough to give her second thoughts about her master-plan.”

“Suppose the idea of destiny having a hand in her future gave Agent Bering pause rather than encouragement. Suppose she had avoided Agent Wells entirely and unknowingly allowed the creation of the next ice-age,” Mrs Fredrick hypothesised calmly. “Or suppose the opposite had happened and she put her heart and soul into pursuing Agent Wells and ended up more heart-broken than she became in our reality. Suppose that pain prevented her from ever allowing her soul-mate another chance at love.” Satisfied that her words had made their point, Irene slowly smiled, though retained her serious tone. “Claudia, it is imperative that you remain open to the evolution of events in your agents’ lives, but it is equally important that you try to retain an objective view.”

“I get it,” the red head huffed to herself. “Meddling is bad.”

“I am pleased that you are willing to acknowledge that fact. Having said that...” She brushed an invisible speck of dust off her skirt as she waited for the young woman to look at her again. “A little nudge here and there can be helpful. Myka is stubborn enough to have never returned to the Warehouse without Miss Wells’ encouragement. Arthur would not have learned to trust Agent Wells again without her reinstatement following Christina’s revival. Who do you suppose orchestrated those events?”

Claudia’s expression morphed gradually from shocked to impressed and finally delighted. “Why you sneaky imp, you. You still have much to teach me, master,” she teased with a mock-bow, drawing an amused eye-roll from her friend.

* * * * *

Steve Jinks hesitated as he approached the door to his childhood home and raised his hand to knock. He was nervous but every time he stopped to think about the reason for his visit, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The reason for his jumpy feelings stood about a foot to his right, a similar expression of anxiety and hope painted across his youthful features.

Jason.

His boyfriend. Officially.

“We don’t have to do this today, Steve,” the former agent observed, his voice gentle with understanding. “Meeting the parents is rarely an easy thing. I don’t want you to feel pressured. Particularly since I refused to take you to meet mine,” he allowed a small self-depreciating smile to play about his lips and suddenly found his shoes very interesting.

The ex-ATF agent lowered his hand and turned to face the young man. They had been seeing each other for a few months now and he was beginning to recognise when Jason was avoiding issues. They had discussed their families enough for him to be wary of the Wickes clan but he knew that he would support his boyfriend if it came down to facing them. He couldn’t help but wonder whether today’s mission was not the only thing weighing down those handsome features.

“I’m afraid I’m not getting out of talking to my mom today. She was quite clear on the phone last night that I have to be here.” He reached out to entwine their hands together, feeling a pleasant tingle at the touch and reminding him why he was enduring this torture to begin with. “If you’re having second thoughts though, I can make an excuse for you.” Blue eyes fixed on his and he held his breath as he waited for an answer.

Jason chuckled and squeezed the hand in his. He knew how important this meeting was and he wasn’t about to chicken out but he was glad that they had a moment to themselves first; rarely had he experienced this kind of support from a companion and he wanted nothing more in that moment to pull Steve into a passionate kiss. Reeling in this urge, he settled for a gentle peck on the mouth and pulled back to smile and nod.

“Let’s do this thing,” he declared, puffing up with false bravado.

Agent Jinks didn’t ask if the man was sure, he simply took a breath, lifted his free hand once more and rapped on the glass with his knuckles. When the door opened to reveal the face of the woman who raised him, he felt most of his nervousness drain away and released his boyfriend briefly to fall into her arms. _Must remember to thank Claudia again,_ he thought absently as he remembered the years he’d actively avoided this closeness.

“Steven,” Mrs Jinks greeted her son, her thoughts unconsciously mirroring his as she basked in the feel of her baby in her arms. “You came.”

Steve kissed her cheek and pulled back. “Like I had a choice,” he teased. Reaching once more for his companion’s hand, he pulled the man into the house behind him. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Jason. Jason, my mom.”

He watched the awkward friendliness of a first meeting and couldn’t help grinning. His thoughts briefly flitted to Liam and he wondered whether things would have been different between them if he’d had his mother to support him. Despite their very enjoyable parting after the last time they crossed paths though, he knew deep down that he’d been a different person entirely back then. Liam’s lies had driven him mad and he’d been incapable of consoling himself with the fact that he was a person like everyone else and that lies were a constant feature of human interaction. He had expected his boyfriend to be above all of that and that really hadn’t been fair to the young man.

Jason had his moments of dishonesty but overall, he opted to sugar-coat the truth. It was a reasonable compromise in Agent Jinks’ eyes and he was content to live with it. He also rarely hid the fact that he ‘pinged’ when his boyfriend fibbed. They were slowly coming to an understanding that honesty was a feature in the relationship that could be likened to a live grenade. They were careful when they handled it.

Once the introductions were out of the way and Mrs Jinks had reigned in her fussing over Mr Wickes, the woman turned back to her son. “I’m so glad the two of you could make it. I hope you’re still staying for lunch. I have a surprise for you, Steven. An unexpected guest...” she trailed off as she made her way passed the kitchen to the living room, expecting the two men to follow.

Frowning and shaking his head at the curious expression on his boyfriend’s face, Steve followed his mother through the house to the living room. Barely had they set foot in the room when his eyes widened in surprise and his mouth fell open. He attempted to form words but before he could organise a cohesive thought, Jason’s voice rang out from behind him, a tinge of horror painting his tone.

“Meghan!? What are you doing here?”

Equal shock froze the face of the other ex-agent and she lowered her bottle of beer slowly to the table as she paused to consider her response. Seeing the confusion on Mrs Jinks’ face, she forced a friendly response. “Steve, Jason... Isn’t this a nice surprise. What a small world.”

Finally finding his voice, Steve turned to his mother. “Mom?”

“Do you three know each other?” she asked, her wonder still evident.

“We worked together until recently,” Agent Jinks explained and then turned his attention to his former colleague, wanting information directly from her so that he could assess her answers carefully. “How do you know my mother?”

Meghan shifted awkwardly in her seat. She could feel Steve’s ‘power’ scanning her and it made her twitchy as usual. “Being out of a job, I thought I should make an effort to talk to _my_ mother and discovered that I had an aunt and a cousin nearby. I don’t normally do this sort of thing – doing the rounds with the relatives,” she added with a sprinkling of distaste. “But mommy-dearest wanted me to pass along something of her brother’s to his ex-wife. I wasn’t going to stay but Auntie Em’ insisted.” Beginning to recover from the jolting revelation that she was related to her former colleague, she forced a cocky smile onto her face, knowing that she needed to save face in front of the human lie detector. “So, cous’... What have you been up to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am drip feeding you these peeks into the deeper plot in this story, I know. More often than not, it's because the details are still revealing themselves to me, bit by bit.
> 
> I know plenty of you have said that The Birth was far from disappointing. I will try my best to maintain this standard but it's time for me to have a break from writing for a while before I start on the next part, The Brides. Still miles to go, people. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint!
> 
> Send me your thoughts if you want to put a stupid grin on my face. :-D
> 
> Ok, I'll stop gushing now.

**Author's Note:**

> Is it too early to say that I love you all for your feedback?! ... grins manically ... sits... waits...


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